A device, method of infusion of antimicrobial agents in the body of the medical device and antimicrobial composition

摘要

A medical device made from a material capable of being implanted in living tissue or transcutaneously inserted therein or of long term in-dwelling therein, which exhibits persistent antimicrobial activity in use, and containing a body of a synthetic or naturally occurring material having side surfaces and being capable of being swelled by penetration of a swelling agent and which has been subjected to such a swelling agent which contains completely dissolved therein at least one antimicrobial agent as a solute, the surfaces being contacted by such swelling agent for a sufficient period of time to promote swelling of the matrix of a body of material and thereby permit diffusion and migration of the solution containing the selected antimicrobial agent solute into the interstitial spaces of the body of material at the molecular level by the action of the swelling agent within the body of material, and the solvent being capable of being removed from the solute in the body of material by evaporation and after removal of the solvent the body of material being capable of returning substantially to its original size and shape with the antimicrobial agent substantially uniformly deposited therein for subsequent continuous migration to and diffusion through the surfaces.