In the case of medical catheter tubing, size does matter. And it is during medical procedures that utilize catheter tubes that medical catheter tubing be manufactured to the smallest diameter possible.
The manufacturing of catheter tubes is a sensitive procedure as optimizing its performance is ever so critical. The purposes for which medical catheter tubes are utilized are essentially a matter of life and (hopefully not) death.
Medical catheter tubes are designed so that it allows for some of the following performance criteria: Ease of Use Catheter tubing has to withstand the pressure of it being inserted into a patient and withdrawn without difficulty.
Kink Resistance. Often times because of the required length of medical catheter tubes, it’s imperative that it maintain its rigidity and flexibility so that a catheter tube can be manipulated in complex procedures.
Pressure resistance. Much along the ideas noted above, because medical catheter tubes are small in diameter, it also must maintain its properties to continue performing reliably under any conditions to which the catheter tube is exposed.
Most importantly, it’s exact position adjustability of medical catheter tubing that medical professionals rely upon. Catheter tubes need to be designed to allow for accuracy during the insertion process, whether it’s being inserted into a blood vessel, cavity, or any part of the body. It must allow for a smooth and uncompromised flow of fluids, such as an IV, or permit for the easy removal of a blood clot.
Despite the small diameter of medical catheter tubing it functions as one of the most resilient tubes manufactured by custom tubing manufacturers.