Implantable or insertable MRI-detectable medical device having a coating comprising paramagnetic ions and a process for preparing it

1. A medical device detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), said medical device comprising an envelope polymer that is at least partly removed at the distal end of the medical device, wherein said distal end is provided with a coating comprising a coating polymer modified by mixture with at least one chemical compound having one or more chemically active free functional groups, to provide a modified coating polymer having said one or more chemically active free functional groups, wherein said one or more chemically active free functional groups have been reacted with functional groups of one or more surface coating polymers to provide a surface coating that is covalently bonded to the modified coating polymer on the distal end of the medical device, wherein the reacted functional groups comprise amino groups and carboxyl groups reacted to form amide covalent bonds, wherein the surface coating contains paramagnetic ions impregnated therein from aqueous solution of a paramagnetic marker so that the paramagnetic ions are encompassed in binding pockets in the surface coating formed by residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups thereof, the surface coating comprising two or more layers of the one or more surface coating polymers, wherein the paramagnetic ions are bound by coordination of their free electrons to residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups of the surface coating, and wherein a cord is embedded in and extends essentially along a total longitudinal extent of the medical device.

2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the coating polymer that is modified with at least one chemical compound comprises a polyether block amide copolymer, and the at least one chemical compound comprises a polyacrylic acid polymer or an acrolein-acrylic acid copolymer.

3. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the envelope polymer is a polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer made from styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene-elastomer.

4. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one chemical compound comprises an acrolein-acrylic acid copolymer.

5. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more surface coating polymers comprise a mono-, di- or polyamine or a mono-, di or polycarboxylic acid.

6. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more surface coating polymers comprise a polyvinylamine.

7. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the paramagnetic ions are selected from the group consisting of ions of gadolinium (Ill), dysprosium (Ill), praesodynium (III), neodymium (III), samarium (III), ytterbium (III), terbium (III), holmium (III) and erbium (III).

8. The medical device of claim 1 , comprising a guidewire, a catheter, a graft, a biopsy needle, a puncture needle, a cannula, an intralumenal medical device, an endotracheal tube, or an ablation device.

9. A process for preparing the medical device of claim 1 , comprising at least partially removing an envelope polymer at a distal end of a medical device comprising the envelope polymer, applying to the distal end of the medical device a modified coating polymer comprising a coating polymer modified by mixture with at least one chemical compound having one or more chemically active free functional groups, reacting the modified coating polymer applied to the distal end of the medical device with one or more surface coating polymers having functional groups reactive with the active free functional groups of the modified coating polymer, to provide a surface coating covalently bonded to the modified coating polymer on the distal end of the medical device, wherein the surface coating comprises two or more layers of the one or more surface coating polymers, and wherein the reacted functional groups comprise amino groups and carboxyl groups reacted to form amide covalent bonds, impregnating the surface coating covalently bonded to the modified coating polymer on the distal end of the medical device with paramagnetic ions from an aqueous solution of a paramagnetic marker so that the paramagnetic ions are encompassed in binding pockets in the surface coating formed by residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups thereof, wherein the paramagnetic ions are bound by coordination of their free electrons to residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups of the surface coating, and embedding a cord in and extending essentially along a total longitudinal extent of the medical device.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the coating polymer that is modified with at least one chemical compound comprises a polyether block amide copolymer, and the at least one chemical compound comprises an polyacrylic acid polymer or an acrolein-acrylic acid copolymer, in an organic solvent.

11. The process of claim 9 , wherein the envelope polymer is a polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer made from styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene-elastomer.

12. The process of claim 9 , wherein the one or more surface coating polymers comprise a mono-, di- or polyamine or a mono-, di or polycarboxylic acid.

13. The process of claim 9 , wherein the one or more surface coating polymers comprise a polyvinylamine.

14. The process of claim 9 , wherein the paramagnetic ions are impregnated in the surface coating from a gadolinium (III), dysprosium (III), praesodynium (III), neodymium (III), samarium (III), ytterbium (III), terbium (III), holmium (III) or erbium (III) salt solution.

15. The process of claim 10 , wherein the organic solvent is 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol.

16. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein binding strength of the paramagnetic ions statistically varies from binding pocket to binding pocket in the surface coating.

17. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein said cord is embedded in said envelope polymer.

18. A medical device detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), said medical device comprising an envelope polymer that is at least partly removed at the distal end of the medical device, wherein said distal end is provided with a coating comprising a coating polymer modified by mixture with at least one chemical compound having one or more chemically active free functional groups, to provide a modified coating polymer having said one or more chemically active free functional groups, wherein said one or more chemically active free functional groups have been reacted with functional groups of one or more surface coating polymers to provide a surface coating that is covalently bonded to the modified coating polymer on the distal end of the medical device, wherein the reacted functional groups comprise amino groups and carboxyl groups reacted to form amide covalent bonds, wherein the surface coating contains paramagnetic ions impregnated therein from aqueous solution of a paramagnetic marker so that the paramagnetic ions are encompassed in binding pockets in the surface coating formed by residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups thereof, the surface coating comprising two or more layers of the one or more surface coating polymers, and wherein the paramagnetic ions are bound by coordination of their free electrons to said residual carboxylic and/or amino functional groups of the surface coating, with a variety of different non-symmetric arrangements of said functional groups and conformations of said functional groups formed in the binding pockets in the surface coating, wherein said binding pockets directly encompass and surround said paramagnetic ions.

19. The medical device of claim 18 , wherein binding strength of the paramagnetic ions statistically varies from binding pocket to binding pocket in the surface coating.

20. The medical device of claim 1 , said cord therein being flexible and of tensile strength ensuring that if breakage of the medical device occurs in a human or animal body during medical intervention, broken parts of the medical device will be connected by said cord embedded in the medical device, and the broken parts connected by the cord can be safely pulled out of the human or animal body.

21. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein said cord is embedded in a matrix material of a rod-shaped body, wherein said rod-shaped body is embedded in said envelope polymer.

22. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more layers is at least partially cross-linked by cross-linking carboxylic and/or amino functional groups thereof.