The
medical textile industry and research are developing at an incredible rate, with
achievements in such fields as infection control, barrier materials, wound care
products and medical devices. For example, some decades ago only a few kinds of
nontraditional wound dressing (as opposed to traditional ones like cotton, lint,
and gauzes) were available on the healthcare product market. Nowadays, the
explosion in product variety, market size and segments can be observed around
the world, and virtually new products are appearing on the market. Also at the
centre of current research are well known and widely used cotton and other
natural Fibres, such as silk, flax, and hemp. These natural Fibres can be given
significantly improved properties using enzymatic and other advanced biotechnological
procedures as well as new methods of processing and modifi cation of usual fibres,
with the aim of overcoming their drawbacks. Many modern medical textile
products are made from polymer fibre components and their modified
structures. The word ‘biomaterials’ is a combination of the Greek word ‘bios’ (everything to do with life)
and ‘materials’ (including substances or components with certain properties which
are used as input in production or manufacturing).
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| TEXTILE PRODUCTS |
Biomaterials can be defi ned
simply as natural or manufactured (man-made) materials that comprise all or
part of a living structure or biomedical device. So, biomaterials are essentially
used and adapted for medical applications. A biopolymer is any organic polymer.
Well-known biopolymers such as starch, proteins, peptides, etc. make up much of
living structures as well as the majority of the biosphere. Biopolymers tend to
have a well-defi ned structure and exhibit similar functions to natural material,
and are built using a template-directed process. Biomaterials are the outcome
of interdisciplinary subjects that involve the integration of natural and engineering
sciences. Major applications of biomaterials include: sutures, joint
replacements, artifi cial ligaments, tendons,wound dressings, blood vessels, heart valves, artificial skin,
scaffolds enabling the tissue regeneration, protective structures, biomonitoring
systems, etc. The area of advanced medical textiles is significantly developing
because of the major expansion in various fields such as implantable devices,
medical devices, bandaging and pressure garments, wound healing, infection
control and barrier materials, controlled release, hygiene products, the
development of new intelligent textile products and textronis. The latest innovations
in the field of medical textiles confirm the importance of modern techniques such as tissue engineering
and nano applications and their great impact on advanced wound care structures. Human
beings are always in a dynamic state. Furthermore, the present day society is
undergoing changes such as ageing of the population and increase in the life
span of individuals, especially in Europe and the US. Various situations and
hazards of human activity and civilisation also include transport accidents, effects of chemical
materials, temperature, and other factors. So, these factors stimulate rapid
movement of the medical and healthcare product market with the requirements for
novel techniques and technologies for developing modern textile materials and
polymers. Research in biomaterials and textile systems is oriented technically
and technologically as well as functionally and effectively because of regular
scientific inquiry into many new interdisciplinary aspects and novel
developments. Virtually new products are regularly being approved following
development by researchers. Using biotechnology it is possible to develop
modern textile products, opening new markets and speeding up production. Besides,
white biotechnologies are preventative, focussing on cleaner production
processes.
ROLE OF TEXTILE IN MEDICAL
New
generation medical textiles are an important and growing field. The importance of medical textiles is determined
by their excellent physical, geometrical, and mechanical qualities, such as
strength, extensibility, fl exibility, air, vapour and liquid permeability, availability
in two- or three-dimensional structures, variety in fi bre 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, composite materials,
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, Fibres, 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. NanoFibres are
used due to their unique properties such as high surface area to volume ratio, fi
lm thinness, nanoscale fi bre diameter, porosity, and light weight.
TYPE OF FIBRES USED IN HEALTHCARE
Textiles
for healthcare include Fibres, filaments, yarns, woven, knitted, nonwoven materials,
and articles made from natural and manufactured materials as well as products utilising such raw materials. In
textile products, the Fibres are the main conventional structural elements. The
most important natural Fibres for healthcare are cotton, silk and fl ax. These Fibres
are the oldest textile structures used in medical products. Meanwhile,
manufactured Fibres can be defi ned as distinct from the Fibres made of natural
materials. The manufactured Fibres, which are applied in the healthcare sector,
may be subdivided into organic and inorganic Fibres. Organic Fibres can be divided
into two large groups based on natural and synthetic polymers. The entire
spectrum of manufactured Fibres from such polymers as polyester (PES), polyamide
(PA), polypropylene (PP), viscose(CV) and polytetrafl uoroethylene (PTFE) has
found increasing application during he last decades. Polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) as the most common fi breforming PES is also used. Besides these Fibres, a
variety of fi brous medical materials have been derived from natural polymers,
such as alginate (ALG), polylactic acid (PLA), distinct types of collagen, etc.
IMPROVEMENT OF BIO MEDICAL TEXTILE
The process of improvement of medical textile contain following process
