Medical Rubber Products

The medical industry is highly equipped with rubber products. The rubber products which are used in hospitals are wide and varied. Rubber is used to make various objects like surgical gloves, tubes, stoppers, condoms, breathing bags, cushioning or supporting materials, prosthetics, implants and catheters.

Types of rubber used in making medical products

• Natural Rubber
• Butadiene Rubber (BR)
• Butyl Rubber (IIR)
• Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPM, EPDM)
• Fluoroelastomers (FKM)/Viton
• Isoprene Rubber (IR)
• Nitrile Rubber (NBR)
• Silicone Rubber (SiR)
• Styrene Butadiene Rubber

Types of Medical rubber products

Some popular medical rubber products are as follows:

• Rubber Caps/Tabs for Medical use: Rubber caps are specially designed for medical purposes. These are caps on T-piece as the main adjunct which provides pass and injection port for infusion and transfusion sets. They are made of natural rubber and polychloroprene rubber.
• Rubber Tubes for Infusion and Transfusion Set: This is a component of infusions sets, through which the medicine liquid can be added into the infusion canula. It is suitable for medicine liquid addition. Made of synthetic rubber etc.
• Birth Control Products: Rubber is used to make various products which serve as effective birth control measures like condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps.
• Surgical Gloves: Surgical gloves are made of various types of synthetic rubber as well as from the latex of natural rubber. These gloves are designed with some features which may not be available in normal glove. Such features are like ultra sensitivity, extra flexibility, maximum strength, greater protection, ambidextrous and can be sterilized.
• Rubber Medical Masks: Rubber is also used to make various kinds of masks used for medical purposes. The breathing mask also known as oxygen mask are manufactured using natural rubber and silicone rubber. Such masks are specially designed to provide a tight seal without leakage and are widely used by aviators, medical researchers and other patients that require administration of 100% oxygen.
• Rubber Catheters: Rubber is used to make medical catheters. A catheter is a flexible tube made of latex or silicone and can be inserted into the body creating a way for the passage of fluid or the entry of a medical device. Compared to latex or natural rubber catheter, silicone rubber catheters are believed to be superior as silicone is more bio compatible, causes less cell death, and more resistant to bacterial colonization.
• Rubber Bulb Syringe: It is syringe with a hollow rubber bulb and a cannula. The rubber bulb and the cannulla are provided with a check valve. The syringe is used on infants.
• Rubber bladders: A bladder is a device made of rubber that can be used for a containing a substance. In medical industry, this is the most common product used in blood pressure monitor units. A typical blood pressure monitor features a neoprene or rubber pump bulb or a rubber bladder that a medical expert squeezes to build air pressure in the system.