Fibers Used for Medical and Health Care Applications
Authors: Taha Bin Yahya
Maaz Wasim Khan
Akram Ali
National Textile University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Email: tahabinyahya@gmail.com
Fibers for Medical and Health Care:
Medical textile products comprise textile materials used in hygiene, health and personal care as well as surgical applications. The Medtech products are available in all forms such as woven, knitted and non-woven based on the area of application. Medtech needs the basic textile properties like softness and lightness, flexibility, absorption, filtering, etc.
Textiles materials that are used in medical applications include fibers, yarns, fabrics and composites. Synthetic fiber is being used largely in manufacturing these products. Depending upon the application, the major requirements of medical textiles are absorbency, tenacity, flexibility, softness and at times bio-stability or bio-degradability.
Several textile fibers from natural sources like cotton, silk, and several synthetic biodegradable and non-biodegradable fibers are used in medical applications based on the requirements. The fibers used in the medical textile application are classified in Figure 2.
As far as the natural fibers are concerned, cellulose-based (plant) materials such as cotton are most commonly used in medical applications due to their high moisture absorbency and comfort characteristics. Due to this comfortable nature, cellulose-based natural fibers are commonly used in hygienic and healthcare clothing and non-implantable textile products. The porous structure of the cotton fibers shows excellent moisture-wicking properties with handles and soft drapes. Similar to plant-based textiles, animal-based textiles are protein-based, namely silk and wool. They also have unique characteristics due to their surface morphology and structure. Silk fibers are directly used as a suture in wound closure applications. The other most common applications of natural fibers in healthcare materials like bedding, uniforms, pillow covers, sheets, surgical gowns, and surgical hosiery. Concerning the bedding applications, thermal and tactile properties are the major concern. In addition, the natural fibers are also used as gauze, wadding, and bandages. They are also used as absorbent swabs in non-implantable sections. Bast fibers are obtained from the bark of the plant stem and they are commonly used in hygiene products. They also have their traditional applications as sutures.
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Fibers used in medical field may vary from natural fiber such as cotton, silk, regenerated wood fluff (absorbent layer), to, manmade fibers like polyester, polyamide, polyethylene, glass fiber etc. There are lots of advantages by using natural fibers in medical textiles. Such as,
- Unique structural characteristics (both surface structure and molecular)
- Have higher tensile and elastic properties
- Fibers like silk and wool show inherent bacterial resistance
- Have been found to be resistant to body fluids
- Help in improving the healing ability of skin infection
- Cost-effective
When synthetic fibers are considered, they are cheaper, durable, and stronger, and have low maintenance. Further, they are also resistant to water and stain. For instance, polypropylene fibers are the most commonly used synthetic material in healthcare products like hygiene products, non-absorbable sutures, surgical gowns, and protective clothing in the medical field. These fibers are also often used in implantable materials.
The various applications of different fiber in medical field are shown as follows:
| Sr No. | Fibre | Application in medical field |
| 1 | Cotton | Surgical clothing gowns, Beddings, Sheets, Pillow cover, Uniforms, Surgical hosiery |
| 2 | Viscose | Caps, Masks, Wipes |
| 3 | Polyester | Gowns, Masks, Surgical cover drapes, Blankets, Coverstock |
| 4 | Polyamide | Surgical hosiery |
| 5 | Polypropylene | Protective clothing |
| 6 | Polyethylene | Surgical covers, Drapes |
| 7 | Glass | Caps mask |
| 8 | Elastomeric | Surgical hosiery |
Current Issues of Medical and Health Care Textiles
A number of crucial issues regarding medical products in general and healthcare and hygiene products in particular have been identified and debated amongst clinicians, environmentalist, drug companies etc. for a long time. The issues such as:
- Natural against chemical or manufactured fibers
- Disposable against reusable or durable fabrics
- Antibacterial or antimicrobial fibers against finishes or coatings for infection control
- Methods of disposal of clinical waste i.e. landfills against incineration and other forms of medical and clinical waste disposal
There is general move towards an increased use of natural polymers that are biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic.
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Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
