Porous plastics solutions provider Porex showcased its solutions for medical devices, diagnostics and liquid handling at MD&M West.
The company explained how its products aim to solve technical design challenges in absorbing, applying, diffusing, filtering, venting and wicking with custom porous technologies used in critical medical applications including blood management, drug delivery, infection prevention, and urological care.
Jack Chan, global marketing director for Porex, said: “We are at a time when innovation in the medical device industry is expanding at a tremendous pace. Equipment manufacturers in today’s market are looking for next-generation products that offer precision, accuracy and consistency. Our unparalleled material science, engineering and manufacturing capabilities enable us to deliver the types of solutions that help our customers address everything from design issues to patient safety concerns.”
In addition to the medical device industry, Porex partners with manufacturers in analytical sciences and diagnostics to engineer solutions using Certified Pure Porex filters and materials to greatly improve test accuracy and reliability. These components have been independently tested by third-party laboratories for filter purity, clinical compatibility, cytotoxicology and more with results confirming no additives or elements that can interfere with or contaminate the integrity of the fibre material and resultant sample.
Some of the Porex technologies on display included:
Medical Device Applications – Porex highlighted its venting components designed to increase functionality and reliability in medical devices. Porex Virtek Medical PTFE materials aim to provide bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), optimal airflow and a fluid barrier critical for multiple applications, including infection prevention, fluid management, injection therapy, drug delivery and ostomy and urology care.
Diagnostics Applications – Engineered to speed fluid transfer and provide more rapid test results, Porex “Collection to Detection” diagnostics solutions aim to offer increased operational efficiencies, improved accuracy of results and reduced overall costs of methodologies. The start-to-finish suite of technologies pulls from a portfolio of porous materials that can allow for faster sample collection and control throughout the testing process. Porex materials include collection media that offer benefits such as customised surface energy, reduced oral fluid viscosity in samples and improved absorbency of samples using optimised capillary structures. These critical functionalities can improve operations for a range of laboratory and clinical applications in which speed, flexibility and mobility are crucial. These applications include in vitro diagnostics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and point-of-care (POC) tests.
Liquid Handling Applications – When dealing with delicate, sensitive specimens, sample purity and protection are paramount. Manufactured with no additives, the inert Porex Fortress pipette tip filters aims to block out aerosols and liquid contaminants, preventing cross-contamination and sample carryover while allowing for pure sample recovery. Using all Certified Pure Porex materials, the Edison Award-winning Fortress pipette tip filter aims to provide sample protection in clinical, analytical and blood transfusion laboratories, delivering reassurance and reliability for a more accurate diagnosis.