Method for coating medical devices
View Patent ↗Medical devices, and in particular implantable medical devices, may be coated to minimize or substantially eliminate a biological organism's reaction to the introduction of the medical device to the organism or to treat a particular condition. A dip coating process is utilized to minimize waste. An aqueous latex polymeric emulsion is utilized to coat any medical device to a desired thickness by allowing for successive dipping and drying cycles. In addition, aqueous latex polymeric emulsions pose less of a chance of the bridging phenomenon associated with organic solvent based polymers.
1. A method for coating medical devices comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing an aqueous latex polymeric emulsion of vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropolyene;
(b) dipping a medical device in the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion;
(c) drying the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion on the medical device to form a coating thereon; and
(d) repeating steps (b) and (c ), at least once, until the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion coating reaches a predetermined thickness.
2. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 1 , wherein the step of mixing vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropylene in water comprises adding vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropylene to the water in an approximately twenty-five to seventy-five ratio by weight.
3. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 1 , wherein the step of drying the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion on the medical device to form a coating thereon comprises allowing the water to evaporate from the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion thereby depositing a film on the surface of the medical devices.
4. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 1 , wherein the step of repeating steps (b) and (c) until the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion coating reaches a predetermined thickness comprises creating a coating in the range from about four to about fifteen microns.
5. A method for coating medical devices comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing an aqueous latex polymeric emulsion of vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropylene;
(b) adding at least one drug, agent and/or compound, in therapeutic dosages, to the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion for the treatment of a predetermined condition;
(c) dipping the medical device in the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion, including the at least one drug, agent and/or compound;
(d) drying the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion, including the at least one drug, agent and/or compound, on the medical device to form a coating thereon; and
(e) repeating steps (c) and (d), at least once, until the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion, including the at least one drug, agent and/or compound coating reaches a predetermined thickness.
6. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 5 , wherein the step of mixing vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropylene in water comprises adding vinylidenefluoride and hexafluoropropylene to the water in an approximately twenty-five to seventy-five ratio by weight.
7. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 5 , wherein the step of adding at least one drug, agent and/or compound comprises adding an anti-proliferative.
8. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 7 , wherein the step of adding at least one drug, agent and/or compound comprises adding rapamycin.
9. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 5 , wherein the step of drying the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion, including the at least one drug, agent and/or compound, on the medical device to form a coating thereon comprises allowing the water to evaporate from the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion thereby depositing a film on the surface of the medical devices.
10. The method for coating medical devices according to claim 5 , wherein the step of repeating steps (c) and (d) until the aqueous latex polymeric emulsion, including the at least one drug, agent and/or compound, coating reaches a predetermined thickness comprises creating a coating in the range from about four to about fifteen microns.