Foster Corp., a producer of polymer solutions for healthcare markets, introduces Combat™ antimicrobial master batches for blending with medical device polymers.Components made with these antimicrobial polymer blends kill harmful bacteria that leads to infections, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
According to a survey by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 4% of inpatients in U.S. acute care hospitals contract at least one healthcare associated infection. Device-associated infections accounted for one in every four infections.In-dwelling devices, such as central venous catheters, are particularly susceptible to bacteria colonization which can enter the bloodstream.Medical device companies are evaluating antimicrobial additives for plastics to kill harmful bacteria on the surface of device components.
Ionic silver is highly successful at killing bacteria and preventing colonization. Additives based on this chemistry are commonly melt blended directly into medical polymers for the manufacture of antimicrobial device components.However, evaluation of multiple custom compound formulations can be costly.Combat master batches, made from Sciessent’s Agion™ ionic silver technology, provide an economical way for customers to evaluate several antimicrobial filler loadings in their device components by dry blending different ratios.
