The desire to increase the comfort of patients and to continue production despite the decreasing amount of available materials on the market has led to the constant search for novel materials that could be used to obtain tracheobronchial tubes. The aim of this study is to determine the mechanical properties of a new thermoplastic elastomer. Two materials - the thermoplastic elastomer and the natural rubber were subjected to three tests: static tensile test, static compression test and static three-point bending test. During the static tensile test, samples of the tested materials were examined, and during the next two examinations, the final products. The materials underwent the processes of sterilization, hydrolytic degradation and degradation by oxidation. The treated samples were also tested in order to compare the obtained results.
The mechanical properties of the tested materials improved both after the hydrolytic degradation and oxidative degradation, as well as after the sterilization process. Yet the thermoplastic elastomer revealed a more noticeable increase. The elastomer hardening is a positive phenomenon potentially leading to fewer accidental closures of the tubes cross-section. Both the sterilization process and various degradation methods improved the mechanical properties by strengthening the tested materials. This phenomenon seems to be desirable to avoid the closure of the implemented tube during its application.