Foster Corporation (Putnam, CT) has introduced Combat™ antimicrobial master batches for blending with medical device polymers. Components made with these antimicrobial polymer blends kill harmful bacteria that cause infections, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE).

About 4 percent of inpatients in U.S. acute care hospitals contract at least one healthcare associated infection, (Source: Foster Corporation)according to the Center for Disease Control. Device-associated infections account for one in every four infections. In-dwelling devices, such as central venous catheters, are particularly susceptible to bacteria colonization which can enter the blood stream. Increasingly, medical device companies are evaluating antimicrobial additives for plastics to kill harmful bacteria on the surface of device components.

Ionic silver is highly successful at killing bacteria and preventing colonization, and additives based on this chemistry are commonly melt-blended directly into medical polymers for the manufacture of antimicrobial device components. However, evaluation of multiple custom compound formulations can be costly. Combat master batches, made from Sciessent’s Agion™ ionic silver technology, provide an economical way for customers to evaluate several antimicrobial filler loadings in their device components by dry blending different ratios.

The master batches are available in quantities as low as two pounds to minimize costs for initial evaluations. Small order quantities allow engineers to test several antimicrobial formulations from a single order quantity.