A catheter manufacturer specializes in producing class I, II and III medical devices and supplying them to healthcare units such as hospitals, clinics and related medical establishments. The manufacturer might be dealing with a single store owner of a medical supply store, a wholesaler who deals in bulk medical supplies, or an organization that supplies catheters directly to the hospitals under the purview of the hospital supply manager. Irrespective of the scale and nature of his business, it is imperative for a catheter manufacturer to be aware of all the procedures pertaining to the production of medical devices and conform strictly to the relevant regulations.
It is the catheter manufacturer’s responsibility to provide all the necessary equipment to facilitate the making of medical catheters. This includes equipment required from the designing stage through assembly, packaging, and sterilization. Equally important is the creation of a sterile environment and availability of test apparatuses to judge the efficacy of each manufactured device.
A catheter manufacturer also follows strict guidelines to ensure his products meet national and international standards when it comes to safety, quality, and convenience for medical professionals. The manufacturing process is usually concluded with a fool proof quality check before being shipped. Clinical trials are also conducted as a part of the procedure so as to minimize the risk to the patient.
One of the most common responsibilities of the catheter manufacturer toward all buyers is to educate them in the usage of the equipment and ensure that all medical catheters leaving the premises are accompanied by an instruction sheet. Even though doctors and nurses receive ample training before starting their professions, new innovations are constantly being introduced, and there is often a lapse in the educational systems. For this reason alone, a catheter manufacturer is also an educator, and representatives from his company are almost constantly dispersed in the field to give seminars and technical support.
The first catheter manufacturer of was a Syrian in ancient times. Medical catheters during that time were created from reeds and were inserted in the body like a plug. Further improvisation by the Greeks led to the catheter acquiring the shape of a hollow metal tube, which could empty the contents of the bladder on proper insertion. A contemporary catheter manufacturer expands on the different types of catheters which have evolved through generations, courtesy of the progress of medical sciences.