Catheter and Specialty Needle Alloy

Although 304 stainless steel has been the material of choice for endoscopic or minimally invasive tools, its mechanical properties are gradually inducing design limitations thus restricting more complex advanced surgical procedures. To meet growing market demands for superior mechanical properties, a cobalt-chromium alloy and a precipitation hardenable austenitic stainless steel were evaluated as possible alternative alloys. From a series of mechanical test and experimental needle trials, both alloys were found superior on all fronts to SS304 with the cobalt-chromium offering greater tensile properties, column strength / pushability and kink resistance. It also displayed notably less permanent deformation in both endoscopic and package shape set resilience trials. The additional hardness offered by the cobalt-chromium provides greater resistance to needle blunting during deployment. Overall, the cobalt-chromium alloy offers potential for current limitations in both endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery to be overcome.