Biomedical subjects

W L McClung

Publications and source records attributed to W L McClung.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1993

A synthetic membrane for testing needle penetration.

Needle performance is primarily judged by its penetration through tissue. For detailed studies of needle performance, tissue is too heterogeneous and unstable and difficult to obtain. A homogeneous, stable, and readily available polyurethane substrate has been evaluated as a suitable alternative to biological tissue for evaluation of needle penetration. The needle penetration profiles through the synthetic substrate correlated very well with those through natural tissue. In addition, the synthetic substrate was sensitive enough to easily detect a 20% increase in the force necessary to penetrate natural tissue. This polyurethane substrate offers a valid alternative to biological tissue for the testing of needle penetration performance.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Biomechanical performance of ophthalmic surgical needles.

The mechanical performance of ophthalmic surgical needles is studied. Standard biomechanical tests, devised to evaluate the performance of ophthalmic surgical needles, are presented. Four comparable groups of ophthalmic surgical needles were selected from two different manufacturers for these biomechanical studies. The results of this testing demonstrate that needle point geometry and needle composition are important determinants of needle performance. When comparable size needles were evaluated, the biomechanical performance of the recently introduced CS160-6 ophthalmic needle (Ethicon, Inc) was superior to the AU-5, CU-5, and SU-5 needles (Alcon, Inc). Whereas the development of these biomechanical tests has allowed the evaluation of these ophthalmic needles, these same tests can be used to assess the performance of other new ophthalmic surgical needles.

Alloys↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancing needle durability by silicone coating of surgical needles.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of coating surgical needles with silicone on their durability. Needle durability is a measure of needle sharpness after repeated passage through tissue. Needle sharpness was determined by quantitating the energy required to pass a designated needle repeatedly (20 times) through porcine skin, linea alba, colon, and aorta. The results demonstrate that the durability and sharpness of silicone-coated needles were significantly greater than those of comparable uncoated needles in linea alba, colon, and aorta, but not in skin.

Animals↗