Biocoat officials say their HYDAK coatings deliver competitive durability and lubricity — and they’re made out of a naturally occurring substance.

[Image courtesy of Biocoat]
Better yet, Hydak offers extremely low particulate counts, according to the company. Plus, it’s made out of something that’s already in the human body: hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring polysaccharide.
Biocoat applies its Hydak coatings using a thermal heat curing system in which it places coated items in an oven for a predetermined time. The controlled heating accelerates drying of the solvent and any necessary chemical reactions taking place within the coating, enabling a better surface bond and durability, according to Biocoat. The consistent and uniform bonding from the thermal heating system means that it’s possible to coat both the inner and outer diameter of a catheter device.
Biocoat officials acknowledge that the high levels of lubricity and durability that hydrophilic coatings offer are not always required for some procedures and devices. However, they argue that premium performance will greatly benefit catheter procedures designed to treat life or death cases, such as in cardiovascular and neurovascular applications.
“Could you get a neurovascular catheter from your groin to your brain using one of those additives or Teflon? Absolutely. Is it going to be more difficult for the doctor? Yes. Is it probably going to be more difficult for the patient to recover? Yes,” Bob Hergenrother, senior director of R&D at Biocoat, told Medical Tubing + Extrusion and Medical Design & Outsourcing.
Go to our sister site Medical Tubing + Extrusion and read about four main variables that Hergenrother suggests evaluating when it comes to deciding what type of lubricious coating to use in a catheter application: