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New catheter design eliminates most infectious biofilms
Engineers from Duke University have developed a urinary catheter design that eliminates a significant amount of bacterial biofilm from the catheter’s walls, according to a recent study in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
One in five people admitted to the hospital requires a urinary catheter, contributing to the 30 million used each year in the United States. Catheters are one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections.
“A biofilm is like a city that protects and harbors harmful bacteria. Our solution is like an earthquake that demolishes the infrastructure, leaving the rubble to be easily washed away by a flood of urine,” study researcher Vrad Levering, a PhD student in biomedical engineering at Duke University, said in a press release.
The new design consists of a single channel that can be inflated with liquid or air that runs parallel to the urinary tract with a thin, flexible barrier in between. Pushing liquid through the inflation channel forces the thin wall into the urinary tract while the outer dimensions of the catheter remain intact.
Researchers reported a 3D printed form of the new catheter worked seamlessly. More than 90% of the biofilm was washed away by a flow that mimicked the movement of urine.
“There are more than 30 million of these used every year. And for a technology that has changed very little in 50 years, the problem is kind of atrocious. We hope to have found a solution,” Levering said in the release.
Disclosure: The study was funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, the Office of Naval Research, and an NIH training grant.