Catheter innovation destroys dangerous biofilms
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 14:01
in Health & Medicine
A new design that could help eliminate the threat of infection from millions of urinary catheters has been developed by engineers. The dual-channel design uses a mechanical method to uproot biofilms from their moorings so that they can easily be flushed away. About half of the time, the interior of long-term urinary catheters become plagued by biofilms -- structures formed by colonies of bacteria that are extremely difficult to kill. Once established, it is only a matter of time before the biofilm becomes a welcoming host for other, more dangerous bacteria or begins to choke urine drainage, causing leakage -- or even trauma to the patient's body.