Lubricious compound and medical device made of the same
First Claim
1. A method of forming a medical device from a lubricious polymer comprising:
- drying a polyethylene oxide of a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 7,000,000;
drying a polyether block amide;
melt mixing the polymers into a generally uniform blend by feeding the polymers at a desired rate into a compounding extruder;
forming the blend into a desired shape; and
cross-linking the polymer blend.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention includes a lubricious polymer blend wherein at least one of the polymer materials is a water insoluble polymer and one of the materials is a lubricious water-soluble polymer. The invention includes a method of forming a desired medical device by melt mixing the selected polymers and then forming the polymer blend into the desired shape. The method further includes cross-linking the polymer blend after or before being shaped into the medical device in order to improve the retention of the lubricous polymer during exposure to abrasive forces or to materials which would extract the lubricious surface, such as water. Cross-linking the polymer blend may be improved by adding a cross-linking agent and/or cross-linking he polymer blend in the presence of a selected inert atmosphere.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method of forming a medical device from a lubricious polymer comprising:
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drying a polyethylene oxide of a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 7,000,000;
drying a polyether block amide;
melt mixing the polymers into a generally uniform blend by feeding the polymers at a desired rate into a compounding extruder;
forming the blend into a desired shape; and
cross-linking the polymer blend. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A lubricious polymer blend comprising:
a lubricious polymer melt mixed with a structural polymer to form a polymer blend, the blend cross-linked by exposure to a desired amount of radiation after being formed into a desired shape. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A lubricous polymer comprising:
a finely dispersed blend of a polyethylene oxide of a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 7,000,000 and a polyether block amide, the blend including up to about 60% by weight of the polyethylene oxide and about 1% of a cross-linking agent, wherein after being formed into a desired shape the blend is cross-linked sufficiently to substantially reduce the loss of the polyethylene oxide due to dissolution and abrasion. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of forming a medical device that presents a lubricious surface comprising:
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preparing a finely dispersed and substantially uniform polymer blend of a water soluble lubricious polymer and a water insoluble polymer, forming a medical device that includes the polymer blend, the medical device including at least one portion formed from the polymer blend; and
cross-linking the polymer blend portion of the medical device.
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Specification