The invention provides a method for lubricating one or more surfaces, comprising applying gel-phase liposomes onto said one or more surfaces, wherein the temperature of said surface(s) at the time of lubrication is below the phase transition temperature T.sub.m of said liposomes. The method can be used for lubricating non-biological surfaces, and also for lubricating the surfaces of a biological tissue in a mammalian subject, e.g., for treating joint dysfunction.

A coated urinary catheter or urinary stent device includes a urinary catheter or stent which, in a deployed position, includes or defines a protective surface area and a protected surface area and a coating upon at least a portion of the protective surface area. The coating includes a lubricant and an antimicrobial and/or pH buffering material. The device is configured such that, upon application of negative pressure to the catheter or stent, tissue of a urinary tract of a patient conforms or collapses onto the protective surface area and is thereby prevented or inhibited from occluding one or more protected drainage holes, ports or perforations of the catheter or stent.

A closed-system urinary catheter with a low viscosity gel lubrication is disclosed. The system has an uncoated catheter, but a hydrophilic coated catheter could be used. The low viscosity lubricating gel within the sachet uniformly coats the catheter when the sachet is ruptured just prior to use. A low viscosity lubrication gel could alternatively be place in the area inside the sheath and external to the catheter. Therefore, the variability that occurs with a hydrophilic catheter or the areas of a non-lubricated catheter with the higher viscosity gel catheters is avoided.

Self-crosslinking hydrophilic coatings and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The lubricious hydrophilic coatings may be formed on the surfaces of medical devices. The self-crosslinking hydrophilic coating formulations form a hydrophilic coating when the solvent of the hydrophilic coating formulation is dried off, or otherwise removed, from the formulation.

A drug eluting guide wire comprises a body aperture having low friction characteristics. The guide wire includes an effective leading end segment that is formed along its outer surface with a rapid action body aperture drug eluting agent serving as a vasilodating substance. The low friction characteristics are achieved by the leading end segment of the wire being covered with a low friction lubricating substance such as hydrogel that is loaded with a drug eluting substance in the form of isoprenaline in constituting the segment. Isoprenaline serves a constricted body aperture rapid action relaxing function in amongst others, or at least the case of the guide wire, is used to access a kidney along a ureter in response to temporarily paralyzing the smooth muscles of the ureteric wall resulting in widening of the lumen of the ureter.

A first alternative to a composition for preventing or retarding degradation of a functional coating on a medical device includes an antioxidant selected from gallic acid or a derivative thereof. A second alternative to a composition for preventing or retarding degradation of a functional coating on a medical device includes carboxymethyl cellulose or a derivative or salt thereof. The use of the compositions for preventing or retarding degradation of a functional coating on a medical device from reactive species generated during exposure of radiation, and a wetting agent comprising the compositions, are also provided. The wetting agent prevents or retards the hydrolytic degradation of the coating during the intended shelf-life of the wetted coated product.

A urinary catheter having an insertable shaft formed from a blend of an ethylene and/or propylene based polymer and water swellable material. The catheter having a hydrophilic coating disposed on the outer surface of the insertable catheter shaft.

Hydration mediums, assemblies containing hydration mediums and methods of making the same.

Urinary catheters and methods for preventing bacterial infections.

Methods of varying the stiffness of polymeric medical tubes.