MEDICAL TEXTILES

KAVITHA RAJAN
LECTURER IN TEXTILE
TECHNOLOGY
 Introduction
• Medical textiles or Medtech is one of the most important,continuously
expanding and growing field in technical textiles.
• The number of applications is diverse, ranging from a single thread suture
to the complex composite structures for bone replacement and from the
simple cleaning wipe to advanced barrier fabrics used in operating rooms.
• The medical textile industries have diversified with new materials and
innovative designs.
• Recently, application of textiles has started going beyond the usual wound
care, incontinence pads, plasters etc., Latest innovation i.e., wide variety of
woven, non-woven, knitted forms of textile increasingly finding their way
into a variety of surgical procedures.
Definition
• "The Medical Textile or Medtech application area "embraces all
those technical textiles used in health and hygiene applications"
• "Textile Terms & Definitions" defines Medical Textiles as - "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"
 Properties
• Medical textiles differ from other types of fabrics in
that they are designed with medical use in mind. As
such, they have a number of properties that make them
ideal for use in this field. Medical textiles are typically:
• Non-toxic
• Non-carcinogenic
• Non-allergenic
• Fully biocompatible
• Anti-microbial
 Medical Textile Fibre
Fibres used in to medical application falls into two groups
1.Commodity fibre 2.Speciality fibre
Commodity Fibre
Natural & Regenerated Fibre Cotton Silk Viscose
Synthetic Fibre Polyester Polypropylene PTFE(poly tetrafluoroethylene) Polyamide
Carbon Glass Fibre
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.
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.
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.
• 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.
 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.
Classification of medical textiles
Depending upon the usage, they are classified as
1. Healthcare and Hygiene products
2. Extracorporeal devices
3. Implantable materials
4. Non-implantable materials
• Non-Implantable Materials
These materials used for external applications on
the body and may or may not make contact with
skin. This includes wound care, bandages, plasters,
pressure garments, orthopedic belts etc.
• Implantable Materials
These materials are used in effecting repair to the
body whether it is wound closure (sutures) or
replacement surgery (vascular grafts, artificial
ligaments etc.).
• Extra Corporeal Devices
• These are extra corporeally mounted devices used to
support the function of vital organs, such as kidney, liver,
lung, heart pacer etc. The extracorporeal devices are
mechanical organs that are used for blood purification and
include the artificial kidney (dialyser), the artificial liver,
and the mechanical lung. The function and performance of
these devices benefit from fibre and textile technology.
• Health Care & Hygiene Products
• An important area of textile is the healthcare and hygiene
sector among other medical applications. The range of
prod-ucts available for healthcare and hygiene is vast, but
they are typically used either in the operating theatre or in
the hospi-tal wards for hygiene, care and safety of the staff
and patients. They could be washable or disposable.
Applications
• Wound dressing
• Acute wounds referred to mechanical injuries caused by
external factors such as trauma, skin damage, and
surgical treatments.
• However, chronic wounds include diabetic, arterial,
venous, and pressure ulcers . Majority of wounds heal
without any complication due to the constantly
regeneration of cells on the surface of the skin.
• In case of chronic wounds, there is more tissue loss and
the natural process of healing is long. Thus a special
wound care is required for the rapid and hygienic healing.
• A wound dressing has two layers including a
bioabsorbable porous layer in contact with the
wound for serving as a scaffold for cell
attachment and proliferation, and a second layer
which comprises an absorbent, gel forming
material adapted for serving as a barrier to cell
adhesion and penetration .
• An ideal wound dressing based on the wound type and the state of
the tissue should meet some requirements in order to have better
end-use and increase the patient compliance. They are including :
• To promote rapid healing
• To absorb exudate without drying out the wound surface
• To control the local temperature and pH
• To protect the wound from infection and microbial invasion
• Analgesic properties and the ability to control odor
• Nontoxic and nonallergenic
• Enough adhesion to achieve adequate residence time
• Easy to apply
• Easy to remove without leading to discomfort or trauma
The role of a wound dressing in bacterial growth inhibition and
wound healing.
 Compression products
• Compression products are knitted or woven fabrics containing
elastomeric fibers which are used to stabilize, compress, support
the underlying tissues and restrict the movements by applying
substantial mechanical pressure on the surface of needed body
zone.
• These products include sleeves, tights, socks, support hosiery, and
wraps that are used in medical and sportwear applications.
• One of the most important applications of compression textiles in
the medical field is for the management of chronic venous
disease.
• It is a most prevalent venous disorder in the venous system, and
compression therapy is a suitable treatment for the patients who
are suffering from venous insufficiency
 Protective/barrier products
• With the rapid increase in blood borne diseases, such as
hepatitis C and HIV, the need for medical protective
products as a barrier to fluids such as water, blood, and
alcohol have become critical.
• Protective textile products are used for infection control in
medical applications.
• They include garments and textiles used largely in
hospitals, healthcare facilities and operating rooms to
prevent highly infectious disease due to exposure to
contaminated body fluids and blood.
• Prevention from infections and being long lasting are two
basic requirements for a protective textile garment. In
addition, they should be affordable, breathable,
 Personal care products

• Hygienic and personal products have a huge market and

generate the largest total revenues in medical sectors. These
products include feminine care, sanitary napkins, panty
shields, baby diapers, and adult incontinence items which
promote a better lifestyle experience and convenience.
• In addition, the aging population causes an increase in the
number of hospitals and remedial healthcare centers globally.
• Therefore the demand for hygienic and personal care products
will increase.
• Nevertheless, as hygienic and personal care segment volumes
continue to grow; disposability, sustainability, and
environmental problems are considered as one of the most
serious concerns
• Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are the main
component for the absorbent core of a personal care
product such as baby diapers and feminine
incontinence products.
• Superabsorbent materials are a group of cross-linked
hydrophilic polymers which are able to absorb a large
amount of water and aqueous solutions like blood and
urine (up to hundreds of times of their original weight)
without any changes in their shape and structure in a
short time and to retain them under a slight
mechanical pressure.
 Medical textiles in orthopedics
• Orthopedic braces include supports for knees,
ankles, wrists, and backs for a variety of
conditions. These kinds of medical textiles are
designed to promote the function of injured
organs. They can control trunk posture and
addresses tonal issues of the upper limbs.
• In addition,the splint enables the patient to
perform daily activities in a modified position
allowing their muscles to have the opportunity to
perform at greater biomechanical advantage.
• Neoprene (polychloroprene), knitted spacer fab-
rics, and foams are the most common materials
that are used in knee braces.
• For instance, Neoprene is widely used in medical
textiles as compression bandages and braces due
to its suitable characteristics, including high
elasticity, recovery, thermal insulation, and
shock absorbency
 Medical textiles in prosthetics

• Prosthetics devices are designed to replace

missing body parts while providing a level of
functionality.
• Prosthetics have been receiving increased
attention in recent years due to the increasing
rate of injuries and accidents.
• Many of the newer prosthetic devices
incorporate composite elements to reduce
weight, improve fit, and enhance functionality.
• An ideal vascular graft should meet some requirements in
which porosity, compliance, and biodegradability are the
most important parameters.
• A graft should be microporous to provide a stable anchorage
for vascular cells and stimulate cell ingrowth. It should be
compliant to form a new elastic component of the arterial
wall.
• A graft has to be biodegradable so that the in growing tissue
can take over the function of the graft. Several types of
synthetic and biological prostheses have proven to yield
acceptable patency levels in the replacement of blood vessels.
Most textile grafts are constructed either of Dacron or Teflon
• Dacron grafts are able to be stretched and
elongated by the body’s muscular tissues and
tendons and have a lower thrombogenicity and a
higher compatibility with the human hosts than
Teflon.
 Sutures

• Sutures are the most common implantable materials which are used
in different surgery application. They are natural or synthetic
strand of biotex- tile materials used for wound closure, to ligate
blood vessels during the wound healing and to approximate tissues
together. Sutures can be absorbable or nonabsorbable.
• In terms of the structure, sutures consist of a fiber or fibrous
structure with a metallic needle attached at one of the fiber ends.
The primary function of sutures is to hold a wound in place for the
promotion of wound healing.
• For various tissue composition in the body, the requirements for an
ideal wound suture is different. However, sterility, uniform
diameter, and size, pliability for ease of handling, uniform tensile
strength, knot security, and biocompatibility are the most essential
characteristics for a suture
• Nowadays sutures are manufactured using
advanced biocompatible polymers via melt
spinning, dry spinning, wet spinning, dry jet wet
spinning, and gel spinning
• Silkworm silk has been used commercially as
biomedical sutures for decades due to its strength,
handling and biocompatibility. Two of the main
important requirements for sutures are the mechanical
properties and knot strength according to the United
States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European
Pharmacopeia (EP) standards. Silk sutures can be
brittle with low knot strength.
Textile finishing for medical applications

• Antibacterial finishing
• Antiodor finishing
• Blood coagulant finishing
• Water and blood absorption finishing
• Blood repellent finishing
 Sports Textiles
• The sports textiles sector includes apparel for
specific sports each with its own particular functions.
• Regular physical activities have positive impact on
major health risk factors, such as high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and stress.
• Sportswear is not just used by athletes while
performing but is becoming a major part of everyday
clothing during morning walk, jogging, yoga,
stretching, exercises and daily fitness activities
because of quality comfort of sports clothing
• Sportswear can be characterized by the following
important properties:
• optimum heat and moisture regulation, good air
permeability, wick ability, dimensional stability even
after wet, durability, easy care, and light weight, soft
and pleasant touch, and produce cooling effect. Today,
sports demand high performance equipment and
apparel. These are related to their constituent fibres
and fabrics, for examples, barrier from rain, snow,
cold, heat and strength. These articles must fulfil the
consumers’
• Replacement of sports textiles by technical textiles
has been possible due to light weight and safety
features of the products.
• These high performance and smart textiles are
increasingly adding values to the sports and leisure
industry by combining utilitarian functions with
wearing comfort that leads to achieving high level of
performance. The use of high performance and smart
textiles has proved their high level functionality and
success in their useful performance.
• Textile materials are used not only as sportswear, but also
as sports equipment and sports foot wear. Examples of
sports equipment are like, sails, camping gears, leisure bags,
bikes and rackets.
• Sports foot wear are mainly athletic shoes, football boots,
gym shoes, tennis shoes, and walking shoes.
• Lot of developments have taken place in sportswear due to
participation of female players in games and sports.
• Sport tech and sports equipment that enhance protection,
comfort and performance are classified into three categories
namely sportswear, sports good and games equipment.
• Sports products are basically grouped under three main topics
• Sports textiles are wearable textile products that improve the
performance characteristics of the athlete at the moment of
activity. Many products such as sports jerseys, socks, gloves,
shoes and training clothing are examples of this class.
• Sports goods are sports products developed for each sports
branch based on its own characteristics and rules. Volleyball,
basketball, soccer balls, hockey, cricket, golf clubs, badminton
and tennis rackets.
• Sports accessories are nets, artificial turf, parachute
equipment, sleeping bags, tents, mountaineering equipment
and sail cloths used in the field of sports.
SHAPE MEMORY MATERIALS
• Shape memory materials have the ability to switch between
specific shapes with the effect of stimuli. These special
materials are activated by many stimulating factors such as
heat, light, magnetic field and ph and change from a certain
shape to a permanent shape.
• They are capable of transitioning to amorphous and
crystalline forms and they form the ideal material for
intelligent applications with this programmable structure.
• SMM are used in many fields including sports textiles. The
first examples of memory materials are metallic and there are
now many types of applications, such as poly-hydroxyproline,
polysilamine, hydrogel or coating.
• DiapleX® is a polyurethane based shape
memory membrane and gives different
properties in terms of surface structure and
porosity according to the heat changes on the
surfaces it is coated.
• It exhibits a structure which reduces the heat
transfer and waterproof surface with its solid
molecular structure at low temperatures
WEARABLE SENSOR APPLICATIONS
• The first wearable sensor samples were used in military
applications that were quite large in size and limited in their
capabilities.
• Although the practice examples in the sport start with observing
the physical, physiological and performance characteristics of
professional athletes, there are widespread use examples for
amateur users today.
• Especially in fitness applications, smart products are used for
purposes such as observing personal activity data and achieving
development goals.
• Wearable sensor types commonly used in sports applications;
accelerometer, gyroscopes, magnetometers, GPS, heart rate
sensors, body temperature, pedometers and pressure sensors .
• In examples such as Catapult PLAYR-Smartcoach
System ,Adidas Micoach Elit, Kinexton Player Tracking
System and Athos Training System, a portable data collector
is placed in sports textiles and athletes' performance data are
obtained.
• The Smart Shirt developed by Sensoria in partnership with
Renault Sport Team was used to obtain the physical data of
the pilots such as heart rhythm during the race .
• The Smart Shoe, developed by Sensoria in partnership with
Vivabarefoot, uses pressure sensors to capture data at
runtime.
COMFORT ENHANCING APPLICATIONS
• Comfort for the textile product allows the user to be in harmony with
the external environment in terms of physical, physiological and
psychological aspects.
• In particular, the thermal comfort ability of sports textiles affects the
performance and health characteristics of athletes. Difficult conditions
such as heat load during intensive activity in hot environment,
decreasing body heat in low outdoor temperature, wetness felling due
to insufficient moisture management and permeability characteristics
are often encountered in many sports branches.
• Therefore, undesirable effects such as health risk, poor sport
performance, psychological loss of concentration and competition
anxiety may occur. Especially in parallel with the developments in
synthetic fibers, the comfort properties of sports textiles have reached
another level.
• Many improvements have been made for these
functional properties, particularly in fiber size.
• Dri-release® fiber developed by Optimer can be used
as a blend with many other fiber types (Optimer,
2019). Meryl®Cryo, Meryl®Nexten and
Meryl®Superdry fibers of Nylstar are preferred in
various sports products with different properties.
• As for yarn, microfiber Dryarn® of Aquafil and
PrimeflexTM of Toray produce effective sports products in
terms of moisture management. The fabric structures used in
sports products are designed as layers with different tasks.
• Inner layers assume moisture management, thermal
regulation, while the outer layer acts as controlled air
permeability and drying properties.
• Multilayer fabric structures of EntrantTM, DermizaxTM,
AirtasticTM and FieldsensorTM of Toray and
Meryl®Thermofleece fabrics of Nylstar are particularly
suitable for outdoor applications
• Surface cleaning effect by removing water in the
form of droplets on the lotus leaf or duck feathers is
also used in sports products.
• Teijin's Super Microft® fiber technology Schoeller's
Ecorepel® paraffin coating and Nanosphere®
finishing process can be used to produce self-
cleaning and non-wetting products