Advanced surface lubrication modifications for medical catheters: Materials, strategies, and evaluation

Medical catheters play an extremely important role in clinical interventional diagnosis and treatment. However, their hydrophobic surface may lead to unfavorable outcomes such as tissue damage and infection, making a firm and stable lubrication modification essential. This goal is challenged by an inherent trade-off between coating lubricity and interfacial stability, as well as the critical prerequisite of manufacturability. This review initially examines this core challenge, and systematically outlines corresponding strategies in terms of materials, coating strategies, and manufacturability. Subsequently, existing performance evaluation techniques for coatings are summarized. Finally, future research directions in the field of catheter lubrication modification are discussed. This review aims to provide a reference for the material design, manufacture, and evaluation of lubrication modifications for catheters, so as to promote the development and clinical translation of innovative high-performance catheter coatings.