Non-irritating antimicrobial coating for medical implants and a process for preparing same

• US 6,361,567 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Dearnaley, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): McDermott, Corrine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koh, Choon P.
• Application Number:
  US09/439,719
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 604/265, 623/23.73, 623/23.57, 623/1.46, 427/2.24, 427/2.25, 427/455, 427/125
• US Class Current: 623/23.73
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00574 Coating or prosthesis-covering structure made of carbon, e.g. of pyrocarbon
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/303 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/306 Other specific inorganic materials not covered by A61L27/303 - A61L27/32
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0605 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/486 using ion beam radiation

Abstract

The present invention provides a process of forming an antimicrobial coating on a surface of a medical implant, the coating comprising an antimicrobially effective amount of antimicrobial metal atoms incorporated into a coating of amorphous carbonaceous material.

Claims

1. A medical implant comprising a substrate bearing an amorphous carbon coating comprising elements other than silicon and comprising a sufficient quantity and configuration of atoms of an antimicrobial metal selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, and combinations thereof in said carbon coating to provide a rate of leaching of said metal from said coating effective to impart antimicrobial protection, but insufficient to irritate tissue which comes into contact with said coating.

2. The medical implant of claim 1, wherein said antimicrobial metal is silver.

3. The medical implant of claim 2, wherein said antimicrobial metal atoms are disposed in said coating in a spatial relationship effective to control said rate of leaching of said antimicrobial metal atoms from said coating.

4. The medical implant of claim 1, wherein said antimicrobial metal atoms are disposed in said coating in a spatial relationship effective to control said rate of leaching of said antimicrobial metal atoms from said coating.