Infusion tubing for medical applications

Abstract

The invention relates to an infusion tube for medical applications, in particular for use in infusion administration systems and especially for interaction with infusion pumps, comprising or consisting of a material forming the infusion tube, comprising thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS) as a polymer base and with a lubricant, wherein the material forming the infusion tube is PVC-free.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an infusion tube for medical applications, in particular for use in infusion transfer systems and especially for interaction with infusion pumps.

[0002] Materials used to manufacture infusion tubing should not react or interact with medications such as insulin, which is not always the case with materials made entirely of PVC and / or PPU. Furthermore, the material used for infusion tubing should be suitable for use in infusion systems and thus compatible with typical infusion pumps, and should be easily processed for this purpose.

[0003] The present invention is based on the objective of providing an infusion tube of the specified type which better meets the aforementioned aspects than infusion tubes available in the prior art.

[0004] According to the invention, an infusion tube for medical applications, in particular for use in infusion transfer systems and in particular for interaction with infusion pumps, is proposed, comprising or consisting of a material forming the infusion tube, of thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS) as a polymer base and in particular with a lubricant, wherein the material forming the infusion tube is PVC-free.

[0005] The material composition according to the invention, comprising or consisting of thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS) as a polymer base, proves to be particularly advantageous because it does not interact with medications. This enables more efficient therapy. The preferably added lubricant primarily serves to optimize the surface of the tubing material by creating an antistatic and non-stick surface on the inside of the tubing. This optimizes the usability of the infusion tubing, especially in conjunction with infusion pumps. The use of a lubricant helps to prevent air bubbles from adhering to the inside of the tubing, particularly in horizontally stored sections, thereby more effectively preventing false air alarms.In particular, in a test scenario with 72 pumps over 24 hours, false air alarms were reduced from over 90% to less than 5% by using infusion tubing trained in this way.

[0006] It is also particularly advantageous if the material forming the infusion tube is urethane-free, i.e., does not include any thermoplastic elastomers based on urethane.

[0007] The infusion tubing, or the material forming the infusion tubing, can be bonded using common solvents such as THF, which simplifies manufacturing and assembly of applications involving infusion tubing. In this respect, it is also advantageous if the material forming the infusion tubing is free of polyolefins.

[0008] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic styrene block copolymer comprises or consists of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS) and / or a styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS).

[0009] The use of a middle block-modified styrene block copolymer can also prove advantageous and opens up the possibility of completely dispensing with the use of polyolefins. In this case, the middle block consists not only of butylene and / or ethylene but also of a styrene block.

[0010] Furthermore, it proves advantageous if the aforementioned lubricant comprises fatty acid esters of glycerol and / or glycerol monooleate and / or glycerol monostearate (GMS).

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the infusion tubing has a Shore A hardness of at least 72 and at most 78. The Shore A hardness can be determined according to ASTM D 2240.

[0012] Furthermore, it proves advantageous if the material forming the infusion tube has a density of 0.96 - 1.02 g / cm³. 3 exhibits [something]. The density can be determined according to ASTM D 792.

[0013] Furthermore, it proves advantageous if the material forming the infusion tubing has a melt flow rate of 3.8–4.4 g / 10 min at 190°C / 5 kg, particularly 3.9–4.3 g / 10 min, particularly 4.0–4.2 g / 10 min, and particularly 4.1 g / 10 min (measured according to ASTM D 1238). The melt flow rate describes how quickly a material flows at a specific temperature (in this case, 190°C) under a specific load (here, 5 kg).

[0014] A preferred composition of a material forming the infusion tubing is shown in the table below. material SOE 1605 Tuftec H1043 Loxiol 8312 GMS (glycerol monostearate) Manufacturer Asahi Kasei Ashai Kasei IMCD Category polymer polymer Additive Type / Function SEBS SEBS lubricant Salary in % of weight 94,6 5,0 0,4

Claims

[1] Infusion tubing for medical applications, especially for use in infusion systems and especially for interaction with infusion pumps, comprising or consisting of a material forming the infusion tubing, including thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS) as a polymer base and especially including a lubricant, wherein the material forming the infusion tubing is PVC-free. [2] Infusion tubing according to claim 1, characterized by that the material forming the infusion tube is urethane-free. [3] Infusion tubing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the material forming the infusion tube is solvent-bondable. [4] Infusion tubing according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by that the material forming the infusion tube is free of polyolefins. [5] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS) comprises or is styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS) and / or a styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS). [6] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the material forming the infusion tubing comprises medium-block modified styrene block copolymer. [7] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the lubricant comprises fatty acid esters of glycerol and / or glycerol monooleate and / or glycerol monostearate (GMS). [8] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the infusion tubing has a Shore A hardness of at least 72 and at most 78. [9] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the material forming the infusion tubing has a density of 0.96 - 1.02 g / cm³ 3 exhibits. [10] Infusion tubing according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the material forming the infusion tube has a melting flow rate of 3.8 - 4.4 g / 10min at 190°C / 5 kg, in particular 3.9 - 4.3 g / 10min, in particular 4.0 - 4.2 g / 10min and in particular 4.1 g / 10min.