Surface morphology and friction coefficient of various types of Foley catheter.

Urinary catheters are commonly used in chronic care facilities and geriatric homes. Problems associated with the catheters include encrustation, infection, physical trauma and inflammation. Many of these problems can be correlated to the catheter surface. Previous studies have dealt with problems associated with surface morphology and catheter composition and numerous catheter coatings have been developed to alter the surface including siliconized, Teflon and polyurethane hydrogel coatings. The hydrogel coating appears best, as it imparts a smooth, soft surface layer with lubricating properties. The paper describes a new poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel coating and compares its surface morphology and lubricity with other catheter coatings. Each catheter coating-type was examined by scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology. The new hydrogel coating was found to be smooth with no evidence of cracking. The apparent friction coefficient was used as an indication of surface lubricity. Friction measurement tests of the new hydrogen coating were run underwater and the friction coefficient was determined between the hydrated catheter surface and the hydrogel surface. The new hydrogel coating was found to have a high degree of lubricity in its hydrated state.