Textiles For Healthcare

New generation medical textiles are an important and growing fi eld. The importance of medical textiles is determined by their excellent physical, geometrical, and mechanical qualities, such as strength, extensibility, flexibility, air, vapour and liquid permeability, availability in two- or three-dimensional structures, variety in fibre length, fi neness, cross-sectional shape, etc. Nowadays, textile products are able to combine traditional textile characteristics with modern multifunctionality and this role is constantly evolving.Medical textiles should provide many specifi c functions depending on the scenario (healthcare monitoring or healing), application peculiarity, individuality of the patient and so on. Specialised materials with determined functions can be included in medical textiles, extending into multifunctional systems made from natural or/and manufactured (man-made) materials. The role of medical textiles and biomaterials is determined by their leading features, depending on the fi nal application. Such materials could be bacteriostatic, anti-viral, non-toxic, fungistatic, highly absorbent, non-allergic, breathable, haemostatic, biocompatible and incorporating medications, and can also be designed to provide reasonable mechanical properties and comfort. A wide variety of textile structures can be used for medicine and healthcare: fi bre (or fi lament), sliver, yarn, woven, nonwoven, knitted, crochet, braided, embroidered, compositematerials, etc. Medical textiles also use materials like hydrogels, matrix (tissue engineering), fi lms, hydrocolloids, and foams. The advantage is that the materials can be used as gels, fi lms, sponges, foams, beads, fi bres, support matrices and in blends or combinations as well. Specialised additives with special functions can be introduced in advanced products with the aim of absorbing odours, providing strong antibacterial properties, reducing pain and relieving irritation. Nano       fibres are used due to their unique properties such as high surface area to volume ratio, fi lm thinness, nanoscale fibre diameter, porosity, and light weight.