German hygiene laws are tough. That keeps manufacturers of hospital equipment vigilant about reducing the possibility of contamination for their products.
While the German government assumes around 400,000 to 600,000 illnesses and approx. 7,500 to 15,000 deaths from microbial infections in hospitals, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Krankenhaushygiene (German Association of Hospital Hygiene) estimates 720,000 to 900,000 infections.
German company, Actega DS, has developed a set of compounds called ProvaMedsuitable for injection moulding and extrusion. These additives not only lend germicidal characteristics but also thermal stability, colour fastness and resistance during the various sterilisation methods hospitals use.
Apart from meticulous adherence to hospital hygiene, products made from antimicrobial plastics can also help to reduce the number of infections. Anything which could lead to the spreading of germs simply by means of skin contact, unsterilised medical products or contact with surfaces can be avoided or minimised when light switches, handles, device enclosures, seals, catheters, drip tubes and bags, inhalers, ventilation filters and medical aids are made of antimicrobial plastic compounds or coatings.
ProvaMed TPE products also provide minimum migration potential, bio-compatibility, protection from irritations of the mucous membranes and is free from PVC, phthalates, silicone and latex. They have excellent adhesive properties in a wide range of plastics. Application-oriented TPE such as adhesion optimised and ADC-free variants are also offered. ProvaMed has the approval for use in direct contact with food is temperature stable and weatherproof.
Various methods are used to give antimicrobial features to the compounds. Introducing metal salts as additives is one. Antimicrobial properties can also be achieved by impregnating surfaces with copper or silver salts, for example, or by introducing the additives to the material volume. The material may then be used for suitable for both injection-moulding and extrusion. In principle, embedding such additives in plastics or their coatings has a similar effect to that of a highly-effective bactericide. Silver ions or glass fibers added in the injection-mouldable granulate ensures a high resistance to a variety of fungi, bacteria and yeasts whose propagation can be effectively reduced. Technical medical products may still also be disinfected using conventional methods.
