For more than 25 years Pellethane has been used to fabricate a large number of implantable devices, including pacemaker leads and cardiac prosthesis devices such as artificial hearts, heart valves, intraaortic balloons, and ventricular assist devices. The Polymer Technology Group developed Elasthane in response to Dow's decision to limit Pellethane's use in cardiac prosthesis devices as well as in all medical devices implanted longer than 30 days. Elasthanes are in the late stages of development, providing device developers with a complete family of polyether urethanes for specific applications. The following table compares some physical, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of 55D Elasthane and Pellethane. Rod, pellet, and tubing extruded from Elasthane displays an excellent surface finish and low gel content.
Polyurethanes are very hygroscopic materials.