Plastics Today -- The proliferation of minimally invasive procedures has prompted engineers and extruders alike to push the boundaries of medical tubing development. As a result, catheter diameters have shrunk dramatically to enable better navigation of the device through the narrow and tortuous anatomy of the body. But while decreasing the diameter at the distal end of a catheter is beneficial, it can be problematic at the proximal end of the tube, which must often accommodate luers, extension tubes, or other medical devices. To reconcile these varying size requirements at the proximal and distal ends of the catheter, engineers are increasingly turning to bump tubing as a design solution for peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and other devices.
