MEDICAL APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ANTIMICROBIAL SURFACE COATING AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MICROORGANISMS ON THE SURFACE OF SUCH AN APPARATUS

Abstract

The invention relates to a medical apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment, comprising an antimicrobial surface coating, wherein the antimicrobial surface coating is a powder coating. It further relates to a method for controlling microbes and microorganisms on a surface of a medical apparatus, wherein a powder coating contains components, in particular additives, with an antimicrobial effect.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A medical apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment, the medical apparatus comprising: a housing; and an antimicrobial surface coating on at least a portion of the housing, wherein the antimicrobial surface coating is a powder coating.

12. The medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the housing includes a metallic surface and the powder coating is applied onto the metallic surface.

13. The medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the powder coating comprises components that are emitters of at least one of ions or radicals.

14. The medical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the components are additives.

15. The medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein components with antimicrobial effect are incorporated in the powder coating.

16. The medical apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the components are additives.

17. The medical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the components are organometallic substances having at least one of an ionizing or photocatalytic effect.

18. The medical apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the organometallic substances are oligomers with microbicide action.

19. The medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the powder coating comprises carrier substances to which at least one of ion emitters or catalyzers are adhered.

20. A method for controlling microbes and microorganisms on a surface of the medical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the powder coating contains components with an antimicrobial effect.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the components are additives.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the components are organometallic substances having at least one of ionizing or photocatalytic effects.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the components at least one of generate or emit at least one of ions or radicals which attack metabolic systems of at least one of microbes or microorganisms.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein the components at least one of generate or emit the components on a constant basis.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the components are at least one of generated or emitted permanently.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the components are at least one of generated or emitted in a continuous fashion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a section of a device for extracorporeal blood treatment as an example for a medical apparatus according to aspects of the invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the efficacy of nanosilver versus time;

[0021] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the efficacy of antimicrobial additives of the invention versus time;

[0022] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a photocatalytic process; and

[0023] FIGS. 5A and 5B show an illustration of the incorporation of pure/unbound nanoparticles in a grid structure of a carrier material and an illustration of the incorporation of additives binding the antimicrobial active agents in a grid structure of a carrier material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Substantially the whole extracorporeal blood circulation system of the device is shown. Said circulation system comprises an arterial blood conduit 1 transporting blood from a patient (not shown) to a peristaltic pump 2 of the treatment device. Upstream of the peristaltic pump 2, an arterial pressure sensor 3 is provided which measures the pressure upstream of the peristaltic pump 2, i.e. the low-pressure side pressure. At the high-pressure side of the peristaltic pump 2, a high-pressure blood conduit 4 extends to an arterial blood collector 5. Directly at the outlet of the peristaltic pump 2, a feed line 6 and a pump 7 allow to add an additive to the blood in the system, e.g. Heparin for blood thinning.

[0025] Starting from the arterial blood collector 5, a conduit 8 transports high-pressure blood—which is still untreated and loaded with slag substances—to a dialyzer 9. Said dialyzer has its input side fed with a dialysate via a dialysate feed line 10. In the dialyzer 9, the blood is treated in a known manner with the dialysate, e.g. is cleaned. Used dialysate is discharged from the dialyzer 9 via a dialysate discharge line 11 and is delivered to a (not illustrated) disposal or preparation. Treated blood is conveyed with a blood discharge line 12 from the dialyzer 9 to a venous air collector 13 where air is separated with an air trap 14. Provided on the venous air collector 13 is a venous pressure sensor 15 which detects the venous pressure, i.e. the high-pressure side pressure. Starting from the air trap 14, the treated blood is sent back to the patient via a venous blood conduit 16. FIG. 1 also shows a unit 17 for monitoring and controlling the device. The device for extracorporeal blood treatment is encapsulated in a housing 100 which is at least partially implemented as a molded sheet metal part.

[0026] According to aspects of the invention, at least the housing 100 is provided with a powder coating. Said coating may be applied only in sections or over the full surface area. The powder coating may additionally be provided and applied on further units of the device, such as on the control unit 17, for instance.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows in a diagram the antimicrobial efficacy of nanosilver. FIG. 3 shows in a similar diagram the antimicrobial efficacy according to aspects of the invention. Here, the abscissa shows the length of time and the ordinate shows the efficacy in each case. It is to be seen that the maximum efficacy of nanosilver is approximately 10.sup.3 germs per hour, the efficacy of the invention is approximately 5*10.sup.3 germs per hour. The efficacy of nanosilver drops after a short time in slow fashion first, but then faster and faster and finally comes to a standstill after approximately four weeks. On the other hand, the efficacy according to aspects of the invention lasts for a long period of time and does not decrease.

[0028] The antimicrobial effect of nanosilver is based on the formation of silver ions (Ag+) on the surface of silver nanoparticles or silver colloids. A remarkable long-term effect can be achieved due to the special ratio between size and surface area of silver colloids. The generated silver ions have a harmful effect on single-cell organisms such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi and viruses in various ways. The strong antimicrobial efficacy of nanosilver is associated to its ability to penetrate cell walls and cell membranes and act in the cell interior. In vitro, colloidal silver is also effective against viruses in that nanosilver particles bind to their surface and suppress the binding of the viruses to host cells. Further antimicrobial metal colloids are copper colloids, for example.

[0029] The antimicrobial effect of e.g. nanoparticles made of titanium dioxide is based on a photocatalytic process which causes a steady reaction in combination with light irradiation. In this process, the titanium dioxide acts as a photo catalyst due to a steady photochemical excitation, e.g. by daylight. This results in physical and chemical reactions (reductions, oxidations) (see FIG. 4). In case of titanium dioxide, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion radicals and hydrogen peroxide will be generated. The radicals are able to react with organic substances and oxidize them. It is believed that an antimicrobial effect against microorganisms is to be attributed to the hydroxyl radicals.

[0030] The antimicrobial effect of antimicrobial oligomers is based on a direct microbicide effect of the antimicrobial oligomers which are able to leave the polymer matrix of the carrier material at a slow rate and in small amounts, hence releasing said microbicide effect in the form of a depot or retard compound. It is preferred that the antimicrobial oligomers are made from one or more monomers selected from the group comprising methacrylic acid-2-tert.-butylaminoethylester, methacrylic acid-2-diethylaminoethylester, methacrylic acid-2-di-ethylaminomethylester, acrylic acid-2-tert.-butylaminoethylester, acrylic acid-3-dimethylaminopropylester, acrylic acid-2-diethylaminoethylester, acrylic acid-2-dimethylaminoethylester, dimethylaminopropylmethacrylamide, diethylamino-propylmethacrylamide, acrylic acid-3-dimethylaminopropylamid, 2-methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammoniummethosulfate, methacrylic acid-2-diethylaminoethylester, 2-methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammoniumchloride, 3-methacryloylaminopropyltrimethylammonium-chloride, 2-methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammoniumchloride, 2-acryloyloxyethyl-4-benzoyldimethylammoniumbromid, 2-methacryloyloxy-ethyl-4-benzoyldimethylammoniumbromid, allyltriphenylphosphoniumbromide, allyltriphenylphosphoniumchloride, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid, 2-diethylaminoethyl-vinylether and/or 3-aminopropylvinylether.

[0031] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the incorporation of pure/unbound nanoparticles in a grid structure of a carrier material and the incorporation of additives incorporating the antimicrobial active agents in a grid structure of a carrier material.

[0032] The effect mainly consist in the fact that incorporated nanoparticles are able to escape from the grid structure of the carrier material due to their size, whereas the antimicrobial additives incorporate the active agents directly in the grid structure and anchor them in the grid structure of the carrier material due to their size (see FIGS. 5A and 5B).

[0033] Here, the microbial efficacy can be achieved both by the photocatalytic principle such as in the example of titanium dioxide and with the antimicrobial effect of metal ions which are generated through metal colloids and continuously emitted to the surroundings. The metal colloids have a size of only few nanometers and a long-term effect can be achieved because of the special ratio between size and surface area. The consumption of the metal to form metal ions is very low. This allows to achieve a long-term effect lasting over several years.