Patent attributes
Articles, such as catheters, comprising markings and associated methods are generally provided. The articles described herein may be configured to be exhibit one or more desirable properties. For instance, in some embodiments, an article comprises markings that are spaced from each other at known distances. Such markings may be employed to aid users of the article in measuring distances. As another example, an article may be configured to swell upon exposure to the fluid such that markings positioned thereon do not crack or delaminate. It is also possible for the article to be configured to swell upon exposure to the fluid in a known, predictable, and/or uniform manner. This swelling may cause the spacings between the markings to increase, and such increase may also be in a known, predictable, and/or uniform manner. When the fluid causing the article to swell is a bodily fluid, such as a fluid the article would be exposed to upon implantation into a patient, and the article swells such that the markings have a known spacing in the patient, the markings may advantageously be employed to measure distances in the patient and/or the change in marking spacing may be employed to determine the swelling of the article in the patient.
