Medical textiles

1. Medical Textile
• Introduction
Combination of textile technology and medical sciences has resulted into a
new field called medical textiles. New areas of application for medical
textiles have been identified with the development of new fibers and
manufacturing technologies for yarns and fabrics. Development in the field
of textiles, either natural or manmade textiles, normally aimed at how they
enhance the comfort to the users. Development of medical textiles can be
considered as one such development, which is really meant for converting
the painful days of patients into the comfortable days.

2. Medical Textile
• 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.
David Rigby Associates
The Medtech application area “embraces all those technical textiles
used in health and hygiene applications” .
Medical textiles
Defined as “fibre-based products and structures used in first aid or the
clinical treatment of a wound or medical condition”.

3. Market size of medical textile

4. Market
It is the 5th in the textile market size with respect to other twelve textile application
Recently a survey of medical textiles conducted by the tata economy consultancy
services has estimated the market size in terms of value 17093 (Rs Mn) in 2005 and it
would be 302018 (Rs Mn)
Market size of medical textile in India in the value terms (Rs Mn) 2005 is 338. It is
estimated up to 575 (Rs Mn) 2010
The forecast for the world medical textile consumption in volume and value terms for
2010 is 2380 tonnes and 8238 (Mn USD) respectively

5. Properties of Medical textile fibre
1.Non toxic
2.Non Allergenic

6. Properties of Medical textile
fibre
3.Non Carcinogenic
4. Able to be sterilisrd without imparting any change in the physical or chemical
characteristics.
5.Bio compatibility

7. Medical Textile Fibre
• Fibres used in to medical application falls into two
groups
1.Commodity fibre
2.Speciality fibre

8. Commodity Fibre
Natural & Regenerated Fibre
Cotton
Silk
Viscose
Synthetic Fibre
Polyester
Polypropylene
PTFE(poly tetrafluoroethylene)
Polyamide
Carbon
Glass Fibre

9. Speciality Fibre
Collagen
This is obtained from cow skin.It is a protein available either in hydrogel or fibre
form.Collagen fiber when used as suture are equally strong as silk and are
biodegradable.

10. Speciality Fibre
Calcium Alginate:This is made from brown seaweed.This
fibre possess healing properties.
Calcium alginate fibres have been proven to be wound
healing.Wound dressing made from such fibres are non-
toxic,biodegradable and haemostatic

11. Speciality Fibre
Chitin:This is a polysaccharide that is obtained from crab and shrimb
shell.
It has excellent antithrombogenic characterestics.
It can be absorbed by the body and promote healing.
Artificial skin made from chitin non woven fabric stimulate new skin
formation.

12. Speciality Fibre
• Chitosan:
• It is obtained from treating Chitin with alkali.
It can be spun into filament and the strength of the fibre is
similar to viscose rayon.
It is being developed for slow drug release membrane.
Other Fibre:
Polycaprolactone(PCL)
Polypropiolactone(PPL) mixed with cellulosic fibre.
This fibre produce highly flexible and inexpensive
biodegradable non woven

13. Medical Textile Fibre
• 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, poly urathene, 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.
•

14. Classification of Medical textile
The textiles used in medical and surgical purposes can be classified as
follows
– Non implantable materials-Wound dressing, bandages, plasters etc.
– Extracorporeal devices- artificial kidney, liver, and lung
– Implantable materials-suture, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments,
artificial joints, etc.
– Healthcare/hygiene products-bedding, clothing, surgical gowns,
cloths, wipes etc.
•

16. Classification of Medical textile
1.Non implantable material:
Non implantable materials refer to those used outside the human body
to assist the recovery of wounds.
These include wound dressing,plaster,bangages

17. Non implantable material
Wound dressings are materials used for wound
healing:
To provide protection against infection
To absorb blood and exudate to promote healing
To apply medication to the wound, in some instances.

18. Non implantable material
Wound dressings normally consist of three
components, which are: Contact layer
Absorbent pad
Base material
Contact layer: The contact layer is used to prevent
adherence of the dressing to the wound and it enables
easy removal of the dressings.
Absorbent Pad: The absorbent pad is the main part of
the dressing and it absorbs the blood and exudate. It
also provides a cushioning effect to protect the wound.
The base material :It keeps the dressing in place and is
also responsible for protecting the wound from
physical damage

19. Picture of Bandage
1.Simple elastic bandage
2.Light support bandage
3.Compression Bandage 4.Orthopaedic bandage

20. Non Implantable Material
Gauze Lint
Wadding

21. Picture of Plaster

23. Extra-Corporeal device
These are the artificial organs that are used to replace the
diseased ones. There have been artificial kidney, liver and lung.
The making of these devices requires precise design and
manufacture. The properties of such devices are vital.

24. Extra-Corporeal device
Artificial liver

25. Extra-Corporeal device

26. Extra-Corporeal device
Artificial Lung

27. Extra-Corporeal device

28. Implantable Materials
• These are the textile structures that can be used inside the
human body for various purposes, such as closure(sutures) or
replacement surgery (vascular grafts, artificial ligaments
etc).Available products are sutures, vascular grafts, artificial
ligaments, artificial joints, scaffolds for tissue growth and so
on, each providing suitable properties for the end-use.

29. Property of Implantable
Materials
• Biocompatibility is of prime importance if textile materials are to be
accepted by the body and four key factors will determine how the
body reacts to the implants
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 sections.
3. The fibre polymer must not release toxic substances, and
fibre should be free from surface contaminants such as
lubricants and sizing agents.
4. Biodegradable

30. Implantable Materials
1.Artificial ligament 1.Suture
Vascular graft

32. Implantable Materials

35. What is Tissue engineering?
• Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and
materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors
to improve or replace biological functions. Tissue engineering involves the
use of a scaffold for the formation of new viable tissue for a medical
purpose. While it was once categorized as a sub-field of biomaterials,
having grown in scope and importance it can be considered as a field in its
own right.
• In other words Tissu Engineering is using a persons cells to create a new
artificial fully alive tissue or organ that can replace or improve/heal the old
one in the body.

36. Principle of tissue engineering

38. • Scaffolds are materials that have been engineered to cause
desirable cellular interactions to contribute to the formation of
new functional tissues for medical purposes. Cells are often
'seeded' into these structures capable of supporting three-
dimensional tissue formation
v

39. Healthcare & hygienic products
4.Healthcare & hygienic products:
An important area of textile is the healthcare and hygiene
sector among other medical applications. The range of
products available for healthcare and hygiene is vast, but they
are typically used either in the operating theatre or in the
hospital wards for hygienic, care and safety of the staff and
patients. They could be washable or disposable