Soft robotic concepts in catheter design: an on-demand fouling-release urinary catheter.

ABSTRACT: Infectious biofilms are problematic in many healthcare-related devices and are especially challenging and ubiquitous in urinary catheters. This report presents an on-demand fouling-release methodology to mechanically disrupt and remove biofilms, and proposes this method for the active removal of infectious biofilms from the previously inaccessible main drainage lumen of urinary catheters. Mature Proteus mirabilis crystalline biofilms detach from silicone elastomer substrates upon application of strain to the substrate, and increasing the strain rate increases biofilm detachment. The study presents a quantitative relationship between applied strain rate and biofilm debonding through an analysis of biofilm segment length and the driving force for debonding. Based on this mechanism, hydraulic

SUBMITTER: Levering V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4176551 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature