Liquid-Infused Nitric-Oxide-Releasing Silicone Foley Urinary Catheters for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections

• Published in: ACS biomaterials science & engineering Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 2021 - 2029
• Main Authors: Homeyer, Katie H, Goudie, Marcus J, Singha, Priyadarshini, Handa, Hitesh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 08.04.2019
• Subjects: liquid-infused; nitric oxide; silicone Foley urinary catheter; catheter associated urinary tract infections; antifouling
• ISSN: 2373-9878; 2373-9878
• DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b01320

Urinary catheterization is one of the most common medical procedures that makes a patient susceptible to infection due to biofilm formation on the urinary catheter. Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are responsible for over 1 million cases in the United States alone and cost the healthcare industry more than $350 million every year. This work presents a liquid-infused nitric-oxide-releasing (LINORel) urinary catheter fabricated by incorporating the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and silicone oil into commercial silicone Foley catheters through a two-stage swelling process. This synergistic combination improves NO-releasing materials by providing minimal SNAP leaching and a more controlled release of NO while incorporating the nonfouling characteristics of liquid-infused materials. The LINORel urinary catheter was successful in sustaining a controlled NO release over a 60 day period under physiological conditions with minimal SNAP leaching during the initial 24 h period, 0.49 ± 0.0061%. The LINORel-UC proved successful in reducing bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation for Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (98.49 ± 2.06%) over a 7 day period in a drip flow bioreactor environment. Overall, this study presents a desirable combination that incorporates the antifouling advantages of liquid-infused materials with the active release of a bactericidal agent, an uncharted territory in aiding to prevent the risk of CAUTIs.