One firm’s solution to the PTFE guidewire crisis
We’ve been watching the recalls on the PTFE guidewires closely, as set out previously. The problem, in broad summary, is that the PTFE coating on the guidewires can flake off, which presents an extreme stroke/embolism danger.
Here is one firm’s potential solution. The firm, Surface Solutions Group, argues that the problem isn’t necessarily the material (PTFE) so much as the manufacturing process. According to SSG: “by using new stringent surface preparation techniques and adjusting how the coating is applied makes the problem go away and the new coatings adhere as well as the old ones did.”
I hope this proposed solution works, and I hope it’s widely adopted.