Both woven and non-woven fabrics are used in various applications in medical textiles. Non-woven fabrics are used for disposable products, whereas woven fabrics can be re-used after laundering and sterilisation.

 

 

Surgeon’s gowns worn by doctors whilst in surgery, clothing worn by patients during their stay in hospital and the linen items used during surgery are all examples of woven textiles. Non-woven fabrics can be found in the form of superabsorbant fibres such as trilobal viscose.

Latest developments in medical textiles include artificial replacement arteries, vascular grafts and valve replacements. Out of these advancements the knitted artery is probably one of the most beneficial technical textile products available.

Originally replacement arteries were made from rigid plastic tubes, however these proved unsuccessful because of the stress concentrated around the joint area of the replacement to the body. Today nylon is used, with polyester being chosen more often because of its mechanical and chemical properties. Elastometric yarns can also be blended with polyester to give the tube elasticity.

Replacement arteries are today woven in a circular manner resulting in a fabric with no seam. They have strong construction but can be difficult to join to the body and can fray at the cut ends. A knitted prosthesis (replacement of part of the body) is flexible and easy to suture (sewing of the wound), they are however, very porous and to overcome this arteries need to be pre-clotted with patients blood prior to implantation.