the present invention is a process or treatment which will provide improved surface properties to wound or surgical drainage devices made from various polymeric materials including silicone and pvc the improved surface properties to be achieved will consist of either a more wettable slippery surface or a lower energy less thrombogenic surface these characteristics are to be provided respectively via physically or chemically anchored hydrogel polymer coatings or by a fluorinated or polyfluorocarbon coated silicone rubber and pvc surface the modified polymeric surface must meet four conditions or criteria to be successful the criteria or specifications for an acceptably treated coated wound drainage device are the following 1 the modified surface must retain this characteristic for a minimum of 100 hours when in contact with wound secretions 2 the process and or condition which produces such a surface must be applicable to the inside and outside diameters of round tubes and irregular cross sectional shaped tubes these round tubes and or combinations of irregular shapes are known as closed wound drainage devices usually used in combination with a suction device such as snyder hemovac u2122 or surgivac u2122 3 the modified surface must be able to withstand an ethylene oxide sterilization process and not deteriorate crack have an adversely affected shelf life or impair the physical characteristics or properties of the polymeric substrate layer or surface 4 the process and or condition which produces such a surface must be safe e g fda approvable pass usp xix class vi reasonable and feasible to scale up in a continuous semi continuous or batch manufacturing mode it should.