AN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SURVEY OF POLYURETHANE FOAM APPLICATIONS IN AN UNDERGROUND MINE.
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Nontoxic antifouling coatings have been investigated for many years as possible successors to toxic antifouling paints. Polymers containing fluorine or silicone have been tested and each has been shown to be partially effective for different reasons. This paper describes a new coating which combines the best features of fluorinated and silicone coatings and is non-toxic. Four fluorinated elastomers were prepared and tested for fouling resistance during a full fouling season. The surface energy and mechanical properties of each polymer were measured and correlated to fouling performance. One of the elastomers was shown to foul slowly, clean easily, be durable in the marine environment and organisms bonded to it only weakly. The surface energy, elastic modulus, and thickness of the elastomer may be varied as desired over wide ranges to meet differing performance requirements.
BACKGROUND: Products containing alcohol are commonly used with intravascular devices at insertion, to remove lipids from occluded intravascular devices used during parenteral nutrition, and increasingly for the prevention and treatment of intravascular device-related bloodstream infection. The effects of alcohol on the integrity of intravascular devices remain unknown. METHODS: Two types of widely used commercial peripherally inserted central catheters, one made of polyetherurethane and one made of silicone, were exposed to a 70% ethanol lock solution for up to 10 weeks. Mechanical testing was performed to identify force-at-break, stress, strain, modulus of elasticity, modulus of toughness, and wall area of ethanol-exposed and control catheters. RESULTS: No significant differences between exposed and unexposed catheters were identified for any of the mechanical parameters tested except for a marginal reduction in the modulus of elasticity for both polyetherurethane and silicone catheters and minor increases in the wall area of polyetherurethane catheters. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that exposure to a 70% ethanol lock solution does not appreciably alter the integrity of selected commercial polyetherurethane and silicone catheters. Given the greatly expanded use of alcoholic solutions with intravascular devices of all types, we believe that manufacturers would be well advised to subject their catheters and other intravascular devices to formal testing of the type employed in this study.
Many materials are used as artificial joint bearing surfaces; these include conventional stainless steel or CoCrMo-on-ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), CoCrMo on itself and alumina-on-alumina. However, these joints have a limited lifespan resulting in failure of the prosthesis and the need for revision surgery. A number of materials have been introduced recently in an attempt to overcome these problems. Polycarbonate urethane (PU) is a compliant material that can be used as an artificial joint bearing surface which has been developed to mimic the natural synovial joint more accurately by promoting fluid film lubrication. Tribological tests were performed on CoCrMo-on-PU unicondylar knee prostheses to assess their performance in vitro. The wear produced by these components was considerably lower than that found for conventional joints. They also exhibited low friction and operated close to full-fluid film lubrication with viscosities of lubricant similar to those found in patients with arthritis. These tests gave encouraging results for the tribological performance of this material couple for use as an alternative bearing combination.
The use of stents in the treatment of urethral strictures is offered as an alternative to repeated internal urethrotomies, urethral dilations, and urethroplasties. We report our experience in 42 patients with bulbar and membranous strictures (33 and 9 patients, respectively). In 10 patients, the stent was removed after 3 to 5 months, and the treatment was curative in 4 patients in this group. In 16 patients, the stent was removed after 12 months, and in 6 it was removed after 24 months. Thirty-two patients voided satisfactorily after stent insertion. The stent did not prevent recurrent strictures after its removal in most of the patients, but if changed regularly, once a year, it may avert repeated urethrotomies, dilations, and urethroplasties, which makes it a valid alternative in elderly patients.
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The use of intravascular catheters is associated with infectious complications. Using plastic materials with antibacterial activity may reduce catheter-related bacterial colonization. A novel intravascular catheter impregnated with the antiseptics silver-sulphadiazine and chlorhexidine was tested in an in-vivo model using implantation of catheters into the internal jugular veins of rats. The rate and magnitude of bacterial colonization in groups with implantation of silver-sulphadiazine and chlorhexidine bonded (SSC) and control (C) catheters were assessed 3 and 7 days after intravenous implantation, and local challenge at the exit site by 10(7) cfu Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984. Significant reductions in the culture positivity of catheters were observed in the test compared with control groups. After 3 and 7 days, the magnitude of bacterial colonization of implanted catheter segments was significantly lower compared with control catheters (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that antiseptic-bonded catheters substantially reduce the incidence and magnitude of catheter-related bacterial colonization, and may subsequently reduce catheter-related infection.
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