Textiles in Medical Applications
Textiles in Medical Applications
Introduction
Combining medical science and textile technology resulted in the types of material called Medical Textiles. Medical textile is the specific textile material exclusively used in the medical application. Medical textiles may be a fibres, yarns, fabrics or composites. The basic requirements of textiles used in the medical application are
- Non toxic
- Non allergic
- Ability to be sterilized
- Biocompatible
- Resistance to alkali and acids
- Resistance to micro organisms
- Dimensionally stable
- Good elasticity
- Absence of contamination and impurities
- Better absorption
- Repellence
The applications of medical textiles are generally grouped into five major categories like Hygiene and health care materials, surgical materials and extra corporeal devices.
Health care and hygiene products
In hospitals and health care centres, it is most important to maintain proper hygiene to prevent infection and the spread of harmful microorganisms. Some of the healthcare and hygiene material include Hospital gowns and uniforms worn by doctors and paramedical people are the examples of health care and hygiene materials. Materials like patients clothing and cleaning wipes, surgical covers, face masks, head caps and bedding products are also referred as health care and hygiene products . These materials should be clean, free from contamination and should have infection control characteristics.
These products are made from knitted, woven and non-woven materials of cotton, viscose and polyester fibres. The requirements of the surgical face masks include light in weight, and higher filtration efficiency and air permeability. A surgical mask is a three-layer structure Both the outer and inner layers are made from acrylic-bonded non-woven materials. The middle layer is made from melt blown nonwoven fabrics made from polypropylene for better fluid filtration. Cellulose based nonwoven fabrics made from spun laid process is normally used for the manufacturing of disposable products.
Surgical materials
Surgical materials are of two types. One is Implantable materials and other is the non-implantable materials.
Implantable materials
Implantable materials are utilized for the replacement of living tissue or organs that fail to function normally. Implantable materials further classified into two types like soft tissue materials and hard tissue materials. Artificial hernia mesh and artificial ligaments are examples of the soft tissue implantable materials. Artificial hernia mesh that supports damaged tissue around the hernia as it heals. These meshes are knitted structure made from PL, PP and PTFE fibres. Mechanical strength and fixation are critical parameters. Artificial ligaments that are used for joining the ends of two bones are made from polyester fibre. Hard tissue materials include orthopaedic implants used in applications like hip replacement. To enable the healing process, body fluids need to be transported from the exterior to the interior of the bone structure. For this porosity is the one requirement which is provided by the orthopaedic implants made from textile materials.
Non-implantable material
Non-implantable surgical material is the one used for external applications. These materials may or may not have skin contact. Bandages, plasters, orthopaedic belts and pressure garments are some non-implantable medical textiles. These materials are obtained from woven, knitted and non-woven structures made of nylon and polyester.
Bandages used for wound heeling
Surgical sutures are used to stitch open wounds and organs. Absorbable sutures get dissolved in the human body and there is no need for removal. Non-absorbable sutures need to be removed after a certain period and these sutures are to be sterilized. Sutures are made from nylon, polyethylene and silk. Sutures are either in the form of either monofilament or braided structure. High tensile strength and high knot security are some of the requirements of the important characteristics of sutures.
Extra Corporeal Devices
Extracorporeal Devices are the man-made equipments. These devices are implanted inside the human body to replace a non functioning natural organ. These are implanted for the purpose of restoring a specific function or a group of related functions. This will enable the patient to return to normal a life. Some of the extra corporeal devices include artificial kidney, artificial liver and mechanical lungs. Blood purification is an effective therapy for incurables such as end-stage renal failure.
An artificial kidney would provide the benefit of continuous blood filtration. Filter membrane made from hair sized cellulose fibre or hollow polyester fibre is used in the purification of blood.
Liver failure may lead to a life-threatening condition; artificial livers are used to save the life of the patient. The artificial liver uses the principle of absorption and filtration to remove the toxins from the patient’s plasma. Hollow viscose fibres are used for the preparation of filters used in the artificial liver.
Mechanical lungs or artificial lung devices consists of membranes made of synthetic textile materials. This is connected to blood vessels through tubes and cannulas of silicone. While passing through the device, blood is oxygenated and carbon dioxide is cleared. Hollow polypropylene is used in artificial lungs.
Vascular Grafts
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death globally, causing an estimated 19 million lives each year. Poor performing blood vessels due to damage or disease causes heart related issues. When surgeons need to redirect blood flow by replacing the blood vessel, oftentimes by using synthetic vascular grafts.
Synthetic materials have been employed in vascular graft, due to the ease and flexibility of tailoring their mechanical properties. Synthetic vascular grafts of woven or knitted structure made from TEFLON (ePTEF), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Polyurethane are used in blood vessel surgery.
The continuous research in the area of medical textiles has resulted in the innovations of new products with improved efficiency and cost effectiveness.
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