New Antimicrobial Materials Based on Plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride for Urinary Catheters: Preparation and Testing

Given the constant increased number of nosocomial infections in hospitals, especially associated with prolonged usage of inserted medical devices, our work aims to ameliorate clinical experience and promote faster healing of patients undergoing urinary catheterization by improving the properties of medical devices materials. Within this research, nine different composites were prepared based on polyvinyl chloride, using three different plasticizers (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Proviplast 2646, and Proviplast 2755), and two different antimicrobial additives containing silver nanoparticles. The prepared materials were analyzed, and their physicochemical properties were determined: water absorption, relative density, plasticizer migration, hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity by contact angle measurement, Shore A hardness, tensile strength, and elongation at break. Structure and morphology were also investigated by means of FTIR, SEM, and EDX analyses, and thermal (TG-DSC) and biological properties were evaluated. The most important aspects of obtained results are showing that plasticizer migration was significantly reduced (to almost zero) and that the usage of antimicrobial additives improved the materials' biocompatibility. Thus, based on the concluded favorable properties, the obtained materials can be further used for catheter development. Pressure-flow studies for different sizes and configurations are the next steps toward advanced in vivo and clinical trials.