Medical Textiles
Md. Emdad Sarker
Assistant Professor
BUTEX
Definition
A general term which describes a textile
structure which has been designed and
produced for use in any of a variety of medical
applications, including implantable
applications.
Md. Emdad Sarker, Assistant Professor,
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Classes
1. Nonplantable materials-Wound dressing,
bandages, plasters etc.
2. Extracorporeal devices- artificial kidney, liver,
and lung
3. Implantable materials-suture, vascular grafts,
artificial ligaments, artificial joints, etc.
4. Healthcare/hygine products-bedding, clothing,
surgical gowns, cloths, wipes etc.
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Fibres used
1. According to source of origin
• Natural- Cotton and silk most widely used
• Synthetic- Viscose, polyester, polyamide, poly tetra fluoroethylene (PTFE),
polypropylene, carbon, glass, and so on.
2. According to biological resistance
– Biodegradable- Fibres which are absorbed by the body within 2-3 months
time after implantation and include Cotton, Viscose rayon, polyamide,
polyurathene, collagen, and alginate, polycaprolactone, polypropiolactone.
– Non biodegradable-Fibres that are absorbed by the body slowly and take
more than six months time to degrade are considered as non biodegradable.
Non-biodegradable fibres and include polyester (e.g. Dacron), polypropylene,
PTFE and carbon.
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Fibre used in medical textiles must
fullfill the following criterion
– the fibres must be nontoxic
– must be non-allergenic
– must be non-carcinogenic
– must be able to be sterilised without imparing any
change in their physical or chemical
characteristics.
– where necessary biodegradable
– where necessary non biodegradable
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Important notes
• Traditionally cotton, silk and viscose have long been used for
medical and surgical purposes. One such area of application is
wound care, where moisture and liquid exude from the wound is
absorbed by the fibrous structure to promote healing in relatively
dry conditions.
• However upon healing small fibrous elements protruding from the
wound dressing are usually trapped in the pores of the newly
formed tissues which make their removal distressing to the
patients.
• Research show that wound under moist condition would in fact
heal better and faster, which would also remove the problem of
fibres being trapped in the healing wound.
• The concept of moist healing has since been responsible for the
development of many fibres which have vastly improved wound
management techniques and patient care.
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Some medical fibers
• A variety of polymers such as collagen, alginate, chitin, chitosan
have been used to be essential materials for modern wound
dressings.
• Collagen which has been obtained from bovine skin is used to
produce biodegradable fibres used as suture which is as strong as
silk.
• The fibre can also be converted to transparent gel like film structure
used as contact lens which has very good oxygen permeability.
• Alginate (obtained from sea weeds) and chitin (obtained from
shrimp shells) are widely used for treatment of wound healing.
Chitin nonwoven fabric is used as artificial skin.
• Hydrocel, a derivative of Acordis’s environmentally friendly Lyocell,
is also claimed to be more absorbent than calcium alginate, taking
up to 35 times its own weight of water whilst remaining intact.
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Lyocell or Tencel fiber
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Synthesis of Tencel fiber
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Nonplantable materials
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Md. Emdad Sarker, Assistant Professor,
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Extracorporeal devices
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Implantable materials
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Ligament surgery
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Artificial ligament
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Artificial kidney
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Artificial kidney
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Synthetic cartilage
Md. Emdad Sarker, Assistant Professor,
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Biocompatibility is of prime importance if the textile materials are to be
accepted by the body and four key factors will determine how the body reacts
to the implant, these are as follows
1. The most important factor is porosity which determines
the rate at which human tissue will grow and encapsulate
the implant.
2. Small circular fibres are better encapsulated with human
tissue than larger fibres with irregular cross section.
3. Toxic substances must not be released by the fibre
polymer, and the fibres should be free from surface
contaminations such as lubricants and sizing agents.
4. The properties of the polymer will influence the success
of the implantation in terms of its biodegradability.
Polyamide is the most reactive material losing its overall
strength after only two years as a result of biodegradation.
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Artificial cornea
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Artificial heart
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Healthcare/hygiene products
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