Assembly with osmolality-increasing fluid

Abstract

A catheter assembly is disclosed comprising: a hydrophilic catheter; a wetting fluid for wetting of the catheter; and a receptacle enclosing at least the insertable part of the catheter and the wetting fluid. Further, the wetting fluid is a solution incorporating at least one osmolality-increasing compound, and the total concentration of the osmolality-increasing compound(s) is very high, preferably exceeding 600 mOsm/dm³. The wetting fluid could either be arranged in contact with the hydrophilic surface layer of the catheter in the receptacle, for preservation of the hydrophilic surface layer in a wetted state during accommodation in said receptacle and provision of a ready-to-use catheter assembly, or be arranged to keep the wetting fluid separated from the hydrophilic surface layer of the catheter during storage, but to be brought into contact with said hydrophilic surface layer upon activation before an intended use of the catheter. A similar method and wetting fluid is disclosed as well. The provision of the osmolality-increasing compound in the wetting fluid provides several advantages per se, such as a improved properties of the hydrophilic coating, a more predictable and controllable wetting process, a more expedient and cost efficient production, etc. Further, the use of this very high concentration of osmolality-increasing compound in the wetting fluid has proven remarkably efficient.

Description

PRIORITY [0001] This application claims priority from the Swedish patent application SE 0303525-0 by the same applicant, filed Dec. 22, 2003. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a catheter assembly of the type comprising a receptacle, a hydrophilic catheter and a wetting fluid. Further, the invention relates to a method for producing such a catheter assembly, as well as a wetting fluid and the use thereof for wetting of a hydrophilic surface layer The invention also relates to a catheter as such. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Catheters find their use in many different medical applications, such as urinary catheters for bladder drainage. Each catheter is normally pre-packed in a receptacle by the manufacturer, in order to maintain the catheter in a clean and preferably sterile condition. [0004] A urinary catheter in general need to have a lubricant applied to the outer surface thereof to facilitate insertion into the urethra. Especially, for lubricatio...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The present invention is particularly useful for urinary catheters, and especially for single-use urinary catheters intended for intermittent use. The provision of one ore more dissolved osmolatity-increasing compounds in the wetting fluid provides several advantages. First of all, essentially the same advantages as achieved by adding osmolality-increasing compounds to the layer, also applies to the hydrophilic layer when wetted with a wetting fluid incorporating an osmolality-increasing compound. Acc

Problems solved by technology

A well-recognized problem with hydrophilic coatings or layers has been that the hydrophilic polymer surface may lose water and dry out when it comes in contact with e.g. a mucous membrane, such as when the catheter is inserted into the urethra.

Naturally, this affects the low-friction properties of the hydrophilic outer surface coating, and may lead to pain and injuries of the patient.

However, these known methods and coatings are affected by some pro

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