Catheter use first dates back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians made early catheters from rudimentary materials like wood and reeds—not very durable or sterile—and possibly from gold or silver for the upper echelons of Egyptian society. With the advent of germ theory and the adoption of sterilization procedures and antiseptic techniques in the mid-1800s, catheter manufacturers leaped forward, using rubber and latex materials and laying the groundwork for future innovations.
It wasn’t until the late 1980s that we truly witnessed a shift in catheter technology. Laparoscopic procedures were becoming more common, paving the way for the integration of robotics into modern surgical practices and creating a new field now known as minimally invasive surgery.
To illustrate the magnitude of this change, consider this: patients undergoing a complication-free coronary artery bypass grafting procedure in the 1980s typically faced a hospital stay of around ten days. Fast forward to today, thanks to less invasive procedures, the average has dwindled to approximately three days in the hospital, if not less.
Vascular access technology and catheter manufacturing also changed in response to the shift to minimally invasive surgeries. Innovations such as polyurethane tubing, biocompatible coatings, and reinforced structures have transformed catheter design, enhancing flexibility, durability, and performance. Today, the focus is on optimizing fluid flow and integrating specialized materials to ensure patient comfort and efficacy, especially with sensor-enabled catheters, which are yet another transformative leap in medical technology.