title: Electrospinning fabrication of high-trackable catheter tip with gradually graded or gradient flexibility.
abstract: Increasing demand for a flexible catheter tip exists in the rapidly growing fields of vascular and interventional radiology. This article describes a fabrication technology producing a catheter tip with gradually graded or gradient flexibility. Based on deflection mechanics of a tubular construct, three models were incorporated into structural designs. The models included graded wall thickness, tapered shape, or graded Young's moduli. Electrospinning using elastomeric polymer [poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone), polyurethane] solutions on a transversely and rotationally moving mandrel enabled preparation of three prototype tubular tips by either regio-specific control of wall thickness, tapered mandrel, or regiospecific deposition of polyurethanes with different Young's moduli. All prototype tips exhibited high flexibility at tip ends, as verified using a bifurcated vessel model.
authors.affiliation: Genome Biotechnology Laboratory, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 3-1 Yatsukaho, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-0838, Japan. tmatsuda@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Daigo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kawahara
mesh_terms: D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000379:methods*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry; D018583:Pliability; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D020724:Elastomers; D011140:Polyurethanes