Medical tubing is made from a variety of materials and typically sterilized and small in diameter. Glass, metal, plastic, and rubber silicone tubing are used in a variety of medical applications. Some medical tubing features diameters that measure in the thousandths of an inch, with walls thinner than a human hair. These small, specialty tubes can cost many times more than conventional high-volume tubes, but are well-suited for catheters and other medical devices that are inserted into a patient’s cardiovascular system. In general, medical tubing manufacturers seek to reduce the outside diameter (OD) of their products while maintaining as large an inside diameter (ID) as possible. Tubes with larger IDs provide doctors and other medical personnel with more room to insert tools or deliver drugs. Examples of medical tubing include surgical tubes and hypodermic tubes.
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