Siliconized surgical needles and method for their manufacture

Abstract

A siliconized surgical needle is provided which requires significantly less force to effect tissue penetration than a standard siliconized needle.

1 . A surgical needle having a coating thereon, the coating formed from a coating mixture comprising at least one polydialkylsiloxane having a molecular weight sufficient to provide a viscosity of the coating mixture of at least about 10,000 cp and at least one siliconization material.  
     
     
         2 . The surgical needle of  claim 1  wherein the coating mixture further comprises a first solution comprising the polydialkylsiloxane having a molecular weight sufficient to provide a viscosity of the coating mixture of at least about 10,000 cp and a first solvent and a second solution comprising the siliconization material and a second solvent.  
     
     
         3 . The surgical needle of  claim 2  wherein in the coating mixture the first solution comprises polydimethylsiloxane and a hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane and heptane and the second solution comprises an aminoalkyl siloxane and at least one other siloxane copolymerizable therewith and a solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane, heptane, isopropanol and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The surgical needle of  claim 2  wherein in the coating mixture the first solution comprises a polydimethylsiloxane and a hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane and heptane and the second solution comprises a polydimethylsiloxane having amino and alkoxy functional groups and a solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane, heptane, isopropanol and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         5 . A surgical needle having an interpenetrating networked coating thereon, the coating formed from a coating mixture comprising at least one polydialkylsiloxane and at least one other siliconization material which does not covalently bond with the polydialkylsiloxane.  
     
     
         6 . The surgical needle of  claim 5  wherein the coating mixture further comprises a first solution comprising polydimethylsiloxane and a first solvent and a second solution comprising the siliconization material and a second solvent.  
     
     
         7 . The surgical needle of  claim 6  wherein in the coating mixture the first solution comprises polydimethylsiloxane and a hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane and heptane and the second solution comprises an aminoalkyl siloxane and at least one other siloxane copolymerizable therewith and a solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane, heptane, isopropanol and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The surgical needle of  claim 6  wherein in the coating mixture the first solution comprises a polydimethylsiloxane and a hydrocarbon solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane and heptane and the second solution comprises a polydimethylsiloxane having amino and alkoxy functional groups and a solvent selected from the group consisting of hexane, heptane, isopropanal and mixtures thereof.