Drip chambers must feature outstanding transparency accompanied by a good balance of flexibility and rigidity. Ultra-transparent, solvent-bonded TPEs are now offered by Actega DS for this application. The Provamed TPEs are said to combine the advantages of various alternative materials. They represent a safe solution for the high demands on performance and safety of medical products and permit the implementation of complex constructions in elastic and transparent products.
Besides transparency sterilisability is a must. The company said that standard sterilisation processes with ethylene oxide (EtO) and gamma rays can be applied without impairing the material properties or bonding functions between the drip chamber and the tube.
Drip chambers are primarily used in the area of infusion and transfusion therapy. Each infusion system comprises a pin, a drip chamber, a transparent infusion line, a flow controller and a connector. The drip chamber ensures regulated dripping of the liquid administered by infusion. In an effort to comply with this requirement profile, there is a growing tendency to rely on alternative materials such as TPEs instead of PVC which has frequently been used to date.