How To Choose the Right Medical Device Tubing

With so many options at your disposal, choosing the best medical device tubing for your application is a daunting process. Here are some tips on choosing the right tubing for your needs:

Choose a well-known medical device tubing manufacturer
Use medical tubing made from raw materials
Consider regulatory requirements
Set up a product transfer process agreement just in case
Choose a sterilization method
Consider the proposed medical device tubing’s flexibility
Research different types of custom plastic tubing options

Blood test tubes. Senior female scientist examining blood test tubes at her laboratory dna testing

Tips for Choosing the Right Medical Device Tubing

You know your medical device requires a tubing component, but you’re not sure how to select the right type of medical tubing. Let’s explore some tips for choosing the best option for your device:

Choose a Well-Known Manufacturer

First, it’s important to choose a medical device tubing manufacturer that’s well-known in the industry. There are many medical tubing resellers that are private label distributors positioning themselves as manufacturers. Before partnering with a medical device tubing manufacturer, ask them about their production practices and quality assurance processes to ensure precision and uniformity. If you’re having doubts about a tubing manufacturer you’re thinking about working with, consider visiting their facility.

Use Medical Tubing Made From Raw Materials

Next, ask the medical tubing manufacturer to provide you with evidence that their medical device tubing is made from raw materials. Ensuring that your device’s tubing is made from raw materials provides tubing traceability, allowing you to trace each tubing’s ingredient and how it was made from the beginning of the manufacturing process. If you’ve chosen a well-known manufacturer, full ingredient traceability should be available to you.

Consider Regulatory Documentation

It’s also important to consider regulatory documentation and requirements needed for your medical device’s tubing component. Your device’s tubing component supplier should guide you to the right documentation you need for FDA approval based on your device’s class. However, don’t assume your supplier has knowledge of all the documentation you need, so make sure to do your own research, too.

Set Up a Product Transfer Process Agreement

Make sure you have a manufacturing product transfer process agreement in place. The agreement should state that if your medical device’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) initiates a production transfer for the manufacturing or assembly of your device from their facility to another, you’ll be notified in advance. Setting up a manufacturing product transfer process agreement is important to assess any production transfer risks and develop a plan to communicate them to key stakeholders to ensure that your project is completed on time and without disruption.

Learn About Sterilization Methods

Learn more about the different types of sterilization methods for medical devices to find a process your medical device’s tubing can withstand. Sterilization costs vary, so it’s important to choose a medical tubing that can withstand a lower cost sterilization method, such as steam sterilization, to help reduce the overall medical device manufacturing costs.

Don’t Forget About Medical Tubing Flexibility

Make sure to confirm that the medical tubing you’re considering is flexible enough for your device. If the medical device tubing needs to bend around other device components, ensure it’s flexible enough to bend without kinking and cutting off the flow of gas or liquid. Certain types of medical tubing materials, such as silicone, are highly flexible, while others are a better fit for device applications where the medical device’s tubing remains straight or slightly curved.

Research Different Types of Custom Plastic Tubing Options

Finally, conduct some research on the different types of plastic used in medical devices to consider a custom plastic tubing solution for your device. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic polymer that’s an excellent metal substitute for structural parts. ABS is often used to manufacture tracheal medical tubing used for airway management in a wide range of healthcare settings, such as general anesthesia, critical care, mechanical ventilation, and emergency medicine.

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Manufacturing Devices Equipped With Medical Tubing

At Remington Medical, we’ve manufactured our own line of disposable medical devices, and some of them are equipped with high-quality, flexible medical tubing. For example, our disposable 600ml drainage bags are equipped with a soft, kink-resistant drainage medical tubing that prevents fluid drainage backup for abscess, biliary, and nephrostomy procedures. As an experienced medical device manufacturer, we know best practices for choosing the right medical device tubing for your application. If your new device requires a tubing component, we can help you find the right supplier to meet your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our medical device manufacturing process.