We claim:
1. An indwelling medical device wherein said device is conjugated with one
or more antimicrobial agents.
2. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surfaces
5 of said device are functionalized by attachment of one or more chemical
functional groups, and wherein said antimicrobial agents are conjugated to
the functionalized surfaces of the medical device through a chemical
linker.
3. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
10 chemical functional groups comprise hydroxyl group, silane group, or a
combination thereof.
4. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein the
chemical linker links the functionalized surface of the medical device and
the antimicrobial agents through covalent bonding.
15 5. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claims 1-4, wherein the
chemical linker comprises glutaraldehyde, p-nitrophenylchloroformate, 3-
aminopropyltriethoxysilane.
6. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
antimicrobial agents comprise penicillins comprising amoxicillin,
20 ampicillin, methicillin, penicillin G; cephalosporins comprising
cephalexin, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime; aminoglycosides
comprising gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, streptomycin;
glycopeptides comprising vancomycin; sulphonamides comprising
sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; antimicrobial proteins
25 comprising amidases, lysozyme, mutanolysin, endopeptidases,
metalloproteases comprising lysostaphin; cell wall hydrolases or a
combination thereof.
7. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
concentrations of the antimicrobial agents conjugated to the functionalized
surface of the device range from 0.001 to 5000 mg/cm2
30 .
33
8. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical
device comprises catheters such as urinary catheters, cannulas, needles,
lines, orthopaedic or dental wires, pins, plates, and screws.
9. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical
5 device is made of materials comprising silicone, polyurethane, rubber,
medical grade PVC (polyvinyl chloride), titanium or biocompatible metal
alloys comprising stainless steel, titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V), cobalt–
chromium alloy (Co–Cr), and magnesium alloy (WE43).
10. The indwelling medical device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
10 conjugation of antimicrobial agents to the functionalized surface of the
medical device prevents the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and the
development of biofilm on the surface of the medical device for an
extended time