Polymers for Infection Resistant Urinary Catheters

描述（由申请人提供）： 医院获得性感染正在增加，损害了保健的质量和成本效益。相当数量的器械相关感染与导尿管有关。迫切需要新的有效战略来补充和补充传统的感染控制做法。理想情况下，新技术应显示出广谱活性，以对抗细菌、病毒、真菌等，但不应鼓励抗生素耐药菌株的出现。在这个项目中，我们建议开发新的银杀菌剂来预防导尿管相关感染。这些抗微生物剂将共价结合到聚合物基质上，以提供具有持续抗菌活性的聚合物。将测量聚合物的物理性质。将使用革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌评价活性聚合物的抗微生物效果。在第二阶段，我们将进行更全面的实验室和体内测试，并开发高效且具有经济竞争力的杀菌剂。据设想，开发具有广泛适用性的新型抗感染材料将降低器械相关感染的发生率、相关治疗成本和患者死亡率。医疗保健成本节省的潜在节省可能达到数十亿美元。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hospital acquired infections are on the increase and compromise the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. A significant number of device-associated infections occur with urinary catheters. New and effective strategies to supplement and complement traditional infection control practices are urgently needed. Ideally, new technologies should display broad spectrum activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. but should not encourage the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. In this program we propose to develop new silver biocides to prevent urinary catheter-related infections. These antimicrobial agents will be covalently bound to a polymer matrix, to provide polymers with sustained antibacterial activity. The physical properties of the polymers will be measured. Evaluation of the antimicrobial effects of the active polymers will be performed using gram positive and gram negative bacteria. In Phase II we will conduct more comprehensive laboratory and in vivo testing, and develop the biocides to be highly effective yet economically competitive. It is envisaged that developing new infection resistant materials with broad applicability will reduce the incidence of device-related infections, the associated costs of treatment, and patient mortality. The potential savings in healthcare cost savings could run into billions of dollars.