Stiffness of central venous catheters.

Catheter stiffness has been suggested to be a principal factor in the thrombogenesis encountered after central venous cannulation. However, no data have been published to date about the stiffness of central venous catheters. A method for measuring catheter stiffness has been developed. The force needed to deflect a catheter tip 1.2 mm from a fastening point was measured with the help of a cantilever beam (Grass Model DA-7). Six different sections of each catheter were measured, and the final results expressed as an average of these. Twenty-seven central venous catheters made of silicone elastomer, polyurethane, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene and teflon were tested. The bending stiffness, EI (E = elastic modulus of the material, I = moment of inertia of catheter (a geometrical property)) was below 16 X 10(-6) Nm2 for all catheters made of silicone elastomer, polyvinylchloride and polyurethane. Polyethylene catheters were stiffer, but could be made softer by reduction of their diameters. Teflon catheters were up to 10 times stiffer than the catheters in the soft group. Heparinization and radioopacity of catheters do not significantly alter their bending stiffness. In a concomitant study the results indicate that there is a significantly lower incidence of thrombus formation in catheters with a bending stiffness below 16 X 10(-6) Nm2.