Building It Better — One Component At A Time.

2022-06-01

At Argon Custom Products Solutions, Every New Project Is A Challenge To Build It Better. Founded in 1972, Argon Medical Devices has long been recognized for their technical expertise in the design and manufacturing of disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. For clients who seek to improve device quality, Argon Custom Product Solutions helps them achieve their goals by offering advanced design and manufacturing capabilities, particularly for devices which require complex materials and processes such as design verification and testing, custom coating and packaging, and stringent quality control. A closer look at three specific areas reveal how innovation and design adjustments can lead to improved clinical performance and better patient experiences. Hydrophilic Coatings Friction-reducing coatings facilitate the insertion and placement of devices within the body. These coatings are a critical component of stents, guidewires, catheters and other products that come into direct contact with the bloodstream. In cardiovascular and other applications, inferior coatings can lead to suboptimal performance. A variety of hydrophobic to hydrophilic coatings enable engineers and product development teams to choose the characteristics that best match their requirements. Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) is one of the original coatings used for medical devices. Widely used to coat guidewires, PTFE has the unique property of providing a low-friction surface in the dry state. By contrast, water-soluble polymers in hydrophilic coatings such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) absorb aqueous liquids to increase lubrocity when wet. Argon Medical’s SLIP-COAT™, uses PVP to enable the design of devices that are more lubricious than those with PTFE coatings. SLIP-COAT is the ideal solution for devices or procedures which require specific levels of lubricity. Additionally, SLIP-COAT can also be tailored to meet specifications for the duration of time the device needs to remain lubricious. This characteristic, along with its ability to be heat cured, makes SLIP-COAT an exceptional solution for vascular devices. Guidewires Over the past few decades, the growth of minimally invasive surgical and diagnostic procedures has created a demand for guidewires that offer improved agility and safety. This is especially true among interventional, oncology and cardiovascular procedures. As a leading innovator in standard PTFE-coated guidewires, Argon manufactures a variety of pre-coated wires that feature reduced friction and color-coated straighteners for easier placement. Argon Custom Products Solutions offers Amplatz PTFE-coatings, which reduce friction along the guidewire, as well as offering increased stiffness without compromising tip flexibility. Additionally Nitinol guidewires — available with tungsten, platinum or palladium tips — increase both strength and malleability, and provide 1:1 torque control and kink-resistance for navigating tortuous anatomy. Bone Needles Reliable, high-quality needles are crucial to the success of interventional procedures such as kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, bone marrow biopsy, and a variety of other procedures. Procedural outcome and patient comfort are greatly impacted by three key factors: needle point geometry, cannula design and handle ergonomics. By focusing on innovations in these areas, Argon Custom Product Solutions helps clients create bone needles that offer improved performance and functionality. Needle point geometry has a considerable impact on insertion force and patient comfort in bone access and bone marrow harvest procedures. During the design process, Argon works closely with customers to understand the intended application of the device in order to determine the most appropriate tip geometry. For example, if the customer’s end use is to enable easy penetration of hard bone, a double-diamond tip would be appropriate. Electrochemical grinding and notching can also be employed to create custom features that are designed to fit specific customer requirements. Cannula design also impacts device performance. Argon Custom Products Solutions designs tubes and wires to strengthen the hub bond. Other modifications can enable the cannula to capture and retain outstanding quality bone marrow specimens. Centimeter depth markings can be added to enhance physician control. Likewise, ergonomic handle designs can greatly improve needle control and clinician comfort, while custom features such as a pad-printed logos or specific colors help support marketing efforts and build brand awareness. Build It Better Argon Custom Product Solutions is committed to furthering innovation in these and other areas, including vascular snares, specialty needles, sheath introducers and drainage devices. For clients in need of product development, contract manufacturing or off-the-shelf medical devices, Argon Custom Product Solutions offers the expertise and capabilities needed to ensure project success. In collaborating with client product teams, Argon Custom Products Solutions is dedicated to creating smarter, more innovative ways to achieve clinical and operational objectives. For more information on Argon Custom Product Solutions, contact us at cps.customerservice@argonmedical.com or visit argonmedicalcps.com. Sponsored content by Argon Medical Devices