Recent Progress in Antibacterial Surfaces for Implant Catheters.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Catheter-related infections (CRIs) are a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections, increasing patient morbidity and mortality.
• Surface modification of implantable catheters is a key strategy to mitigate bacterial colonization and associated complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress in surface modifications of biomedical catheters for preventing CRIs over the last five years.
• To classify antibacterial strategies based on their mechanisms of action.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on the last 5 years of research on catheter surface modifications.
• Categorization of antibacterial strategies into five types: active, passive, combined, stimulus-responsive, and others.

Main Results:

• Identified and categorized various surface modification strategies for antibacterial catheters.
• Highlighted recent advancements in each category of antibacterial surface modification.
• Discussed the features and mechanisms of different antibacterial surface types.

Conclusions:

• Surface modifications offer promising solutions for preventing CRIs.
• Further research into challenges and future prospects is crucial for advancing antibacterial catheter technology.