Medical Textiles by Vignesh Dhanabalan

MEDICAL TEXTILES
vigneshdhanabalan@hotmail.com

CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICAL
TEXTILES

Applications Fabric Structure
Biodegradable sutures Monofilament, braided
Non-Biodegradable sutures Monofilament, braided
Artificial tendon Woven, braided
Artificial ligament Braided
Artificial cartilage
Artificial skin Nonwoven
Eye-contact lenses and
Artificial cornea
Artificial joints / bones
Vascular grafts Woven, knitted
Heart valves Woven, knitted
IMPLANTABLE MATERIALS

Wound-contact layer Woven, nonwoven, knitted
Base material Woven, nonwoven
Simple non-elastic and elastic
bandages
Woven, nonwoven
High-support bandages Woven, nonwoven, knitted
Compression bandages Woven, nonwoven, knitted
Orthopaedic bandages Woven, knitted
Plasters Woven, nonwoven knitted
Gauze dressing Woven, nonwoven knitted
Lint Woven
Wadding Nonwoven
Scaffold Spunlaid, needle-punched
nonwoven
NON-IMPLANTABLE
MATERIALS

Applications Function
Artificial kidney Remove waste products from
patients' blood
Artificial liver Separate and dispose of
patients plasma and supply of
fresh plasma
Mechanical lung Remove carbon dioxide from
patients’ blood and supply
fresh oxygen
EXTRA-CORPOREAL
DEVICES

Surgical gowns Woven, nonwoven
Surgical caps Nonwoven
Surgical masks Nonwoven
Surgical drapes, cloths Woven, nonwoven
Surgical hosiery Knitted
Blankets Woven, knitted
Sheets, pillow cases Woven
Uniforms Woven
Protective clothing incontinence diaper/
sheet, coverstock
Nonwoven
Absorbent layer Nonwoven
Outer layer Nonwoven
Cloths/wipes Nonwoven
HEALTHCARE / HYGIENE PRODUCTS

Fibers used for medical application

How should the fiber be…..
Natural or synthetic, biodegradable or non-biodegradable.
Non-toxic, non-allergenic non-carcinogenic
sterilized without imparting any change in the physical or chemical characteristics.
Commonly used natural fibres are cotton and silk, the regenerated cellulosic
fibres (viscose rayon) – mostly non implantable.
Commonly used synthetic materials include polyester, polyamide,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polypropylene, carbon, glass.

Biodegradeable and Non-Biodegradable
Fibres are those which are absorbed by the body within 2–3 months after
implantation and include cotton, viscose rayon, polyamide, polyurethane,
collagen, and alginate.
Fibres that are slowly absorbed within the body and take more than 6
months to degrade are considered nonbiodegradable and include polyester
(e.g. Dacron), polypropylene, PTFE and carbon.

Non - Implantable

SURGICAL DRESSINGS
Surgical Bandages Surgical Gauzes
Other Surgical
Dressings
Crepe Bandage
Rolled Bandage
POP Bandage
Triangular
Bandage
Orthopedic Wool
Bandage
Elastic Adhesive
Crepe
Bandage
Absorbent
Gauze
Wound Care
Gauze
Paraffin Gauze
Dressing
Anklet
Eye Pad
Knee Cap

Implantable

SURGICAL SUTURES
The surgical suture is used for stitching together skin deformations,
open wounds, organs and blood vessels. The surgical sutures are
classified into two categories –
 Absorbable suture - These get dissolved in the body and do not
require removal
 Non-absorbable suture - These are sterilised sutures which need
to be removed after a specified time
PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS
Sterilised (non-toxic)
High tensile strength
 High knot security
 Flexible and smooth passage through tissues
 Good pliability
 Minimum tissue reaction

SURGICAL DRESSING MATERIAL
 Surgical dressing material is applied on the wound to expedite the
process of healing and prevent further harm due to wound exposure.
 The dressing material can be primarily divided as
 Wound care layer and
 Bandage
The wound care products consist of:-
Absorbent pad
Non-adhering/dressing
Adhering pads or adhesive plaster
 Rolled Bandage
Gauze bandage
Elastic/Non-elastic bandage
Light support bandage

FEW MANUFACTURERS
Johnson and Johnson India
 Lavino Kapoor – Absorbent cotton – 100% EOU
 Dr. Sabharwal Laboratories
 Ramanathan Surgicals Private Limited
 KOB textile – Dressing Material - 100% EOU
(Export Oriented Unit)
Ramaraju Surgical Cotton Limited
 Shanti Surgicals
Jajoo Surgicals Private Limited

ARTIFICIAL VASCULAR GRAFTS
 Vascular diseases are characterised by variations to the geometry and
structure of the walls of the blood vessels.
 Variations in the mechanical characteristics of the vessels result in
multiple complications like Thrombosis, Aneurysm and Arteriosclerosis.
Non-thrombogenic surface
Elasticity and compliance
Long-term tensile strength
Bio-computability
Durability
Bacteria resistance
17

ARTIFICIAL HEART VALVES
 Artificial heart valves are implanted in the heart of the
patients who need treatment for valve related diseases.
 The natural heart valve needs a replacement when two or
more valves stop functioning properly.
 Generally an open heart surgery is performed to replace the
valve.

ARTIFICIAL TENDON (MESH)
 Artificial Tendons or meshes are used in hernia repair and abdominal
wall replacement, where mechanical strength and fixation are very
important.
 The long term function of the mesh is optimised by adjusting the
porosity and the texture of the mesh.
The mesh could either be woven or knitted based on the requirement of
strength. Polypropylene, Polyester mesh is primarily used in hernia
repair as it is resistant to infections.

ARTIFICIAL JOINTS
 The orthopedic joints are used for patients suffering from
arthritis and accidental damage of joints.
 The joints are made such that they are compatible with the
human body.

 The artificial joints are primarily made of Titanium,
Stainless Steel and Chromium Cobalt, materials which
exhibit compatibility with the human body.
 The technical textile component in joints is Ultra High
Molecular Weight High Density Polyethylene
(UHMWHDPE) material.

ARTIFICIAL LIGAMENTS
 An artificial ligament is medical device for joining ends of
two bones.
 The artificial ligaments are made from man-made fibres like
polyester. The usage of the ligament varies based on type of
operation.
 The artificial ligaments are generally subject to lot of wear
and tear. They also carry a risk of septic arthritis.

Polyethylene Teraphthalate (PET) is primarily used
for manufacturing artificial ligaments.
The artificial ligament must be bio-compatible with
contact blood and tissue and should have good
bonding strength.

Extracorporeal Devices

ARTIFICIAL SKIN
 Skin grafting is the procedure of replacing dead skin with
live skin.
 There are two primary methods of skin grafting –
Autologous skin graft and allograft transfers.
 The autologous skin graft transfers skin from one part of the
body to another. The allograft transfers skin from the bodies
of other people / cadaver.

ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY / DIALYSERS
 Kidney serves the filtering mechanism of the blood. The
kidney has a mechanical substitute in kidney dialysis
machine.
 The kidney dialysis machine is outside the body and purifies
the blood using a filter called the haemodialysor.
 The haemodialysor is made primarily of polysulphone and
polyacetate.

ARTIFICIAL LUNG
 Totally artificial lungs are not completely commercial. However, heart-
lung machines are available in the market.
 The artificial lung device is connected to the heart‘s right ventricle. It
relies on the heart—not a mechanical pump—to send blood through the
lung, where it receives oxygen (and offloads carbon dioxide) as it flows
through the arrays of microfibers or membrane oxygenators.
ARTIFICIAL LIVER
In this system, patient's blood or plasma is pumped into bioreactors,
which are hollow fibre devices, seeded on the dialysate side with freshly
isolated or cryopreserved porcine hepatocytes or transformed human
hepatoma cell line.

Arterial Prosthetic Graft

Healthcare and Hygiene

BABY DIAPERS
 Baby diapers are used to absorb and retain body fluids of
infants in period between birth and 24 months.
 Diapers are essentially made by a sandwich of an absorbent
pad between fabric sheets.

MARKET DYNAMICS AND KEY
GROWTH DRIVERS
 In India, there are around 60-70 million babies up to 24
months age group, which is the potential size of the Indian
baby diaper market.
 The diaper market in India is growing at the rate of 5%-
10% every year.

FEW MANUFACTURERS OF BABY DIAPERS
The baby diapers marketed in India are primarily imported
and repackaged for sale. The major brands like Huggies
(Kimberley Clark Lever), Pampers (Procter and Gamble),
Snuggy (Godrej-SCA) and Wipro Baby Soft cover more than
95% of the domestic market.

INCONTINENCE DIAPERS
 Incontinence diaper also known as adult diapers are for
people with loss of bladder control which typically applies to
people in the age group of 70 years and more.
 Incontinence diapers are disposable single use products
specifically designed to absorb and retain fluids.

 Super absorbent polymer should ensure complete
dryness and prevent growth of bacteria
Super absorbent should quickly convert liquid to
gel
 The non-woven used should be hydrophilic and
absorb fluids fast

FEW MANUFACTURERS OF ADULT
DIAPERS
Kimberley-Clark Lever with Depend and Godrej-
SGA with Tena are the major branded players in the
market.
The other players are Elder Hartmann, Nobel
Hygiene Care with Friends and Diaper India (Total
Care).

SANITARY NAPKIN
 Sanitary napkin is a hygiene absorbent product used by
women during menstrual periods.
 Sanitary napkins are essentially made by a sandwich of an
absorbent pad between fabric sheets.

 Super absorbent polymer should ensure complete
dryness
Hydrophilic non-woven to absorb fluids fast
 Snug fit
Breathable cover

MARKET DYNAMICS AND KEY
GROWTH DRIVERS
 The penetration of sanitary napkins is around 20% of the
target population.
 The potential market (females in the age group of 15 years
to 50 years) for sanitary napkins is in excess of 94 million
(Source: Census India 2008 estimates) which is around 17%
of the total female population.

FEW MANUFACTURERS
The sanitary napkins market in India is dominated
by Procter and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson and
Kimberley Clark Lever.
Johnson & Johnson brand Stayfree and Procter &
Gamble brand Whisper cover close to 85-90% of
sanitary napkins market.
The other smaller players in the market are Prime
Hygiene Care Pvt. Ltd., Actifit India Pvt. Ltd.,
Dima Poducts, Donisi International, Hindustan
Latex and Kaul Impex Pvt. Ltd.

SURGICAL DISPOSABLES
The surgical disposables primarily consist of masks, caps,
drapes, gowns, covers and shoe covers made of
polypropylene spunbond fabric (non-woven) with or without
polyethylene film.

DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS MARKET IN
INDIA
Area Market
share(%)
Growth
rate(%)
Absorbent hygiene 85 15
Wipes 2 5
Filtration 1 5
Others 12 8

High barrier to blood or body fluids
Lower lint than linen (lint is a source of infection)
Proven sterilisation performance
Comfort and breathability
Good bacteria filtration efficiency
Breathing resistance
Splash resistance

ADVANTAGES OF DISPOSABLE
PRODUCTS
 Ultra disposable surgical gowns protects the medical
professionals against the transmission of AIDS, hepatitis
and other blood-borne infections.
 Surgical masks protect medical and dental professionals
from acquiring or transmitting infections.
 Non-woven shoe covers protect surgeons from infections
and the discharge and adverse effects of static electricity.
 Disposable drapes prevent cross infections.

REUSABLE SURGICAL GOWN
No. of
washes
Bacterial Filtration
Efficiency(%)
Air Permeability
(cm3/cm2/sec.)
0 92.79 5.83
2 92.79 5.85
3 92.19 5.87
5 90.24 5.97
10 89.01 6.13
15 88.38 6.39
20 72.88 6.42
25 71.69 6.49
30 69.21 6.54vigneshdhanabalan@hotmail.com

DISPOSABLE COMMERCIAL NON-
WOVEN SURGICAL GOWNS
 Bacterial filtration efficiency – 95 –98%
 Air permeability – 25-30 cm3/cm2/sec
 This shows not only these are safer, these are much more
comfortable.

ADVANTAGES OF DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS
IN HOSPITALS/HEALTH CENTRES
• Prevention of hospital acquired infection.
• Cross-infection reduced .
• Savings in overall healthcare costs due to reduced cross-
infections.
• Doctors’/Health workers’ protection from exposure to
pathogen.
• Non-linting (Burrs/loose particles will not come out).

FEW MANUFACTURERS
 Thea-Tex Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
 Mediklin Healthcare Ltd.
 Magnum Medicare Pvt. Ltd.
 Sivshree Medittex India Pvt Ltd
 Surgiwear India
 Dispoline

Medical Textiles by Vignesh Dhanabalan

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