Evaluation of the elastic behaviour of central venous PVC, polyurethane and silicone catheters

Eighty used and 20 new silicone, polyurethane and polyvinylchloride central venous catheters were tested to establish the Young's modulus and the bending stiffness of the catheters and their introducers. The catheters were subjected to longitudinal traction forces and their lengthening measured. Young's modulus and the geometric moment of inertia were then calculated. It is shown that polyurethane catheters show least variation in their elastic characteristics, and that silicone catheters offer least resistance to bending and do not change their elastic properties after use. All catheters were equally unlikely to cause thrombus production if this is related to excessive bending stiffness.