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Application of nonwovens in medical field

The medical textiles include a vast range of applications, viz, adhesive tapes, bandages, beddings, blankets, castings, diapers, dressings, eye pads, gauzes, protective clothings, sutures, surgical covers, surgical clothings, swabs, supports, sanitary products, hospital gowns, etc. They also find application in extra-corporeal devices like artificial kidney, liver, heart & mechanical lung, ligaments, vascular grafts, heart valves, blood vessels, artificial skins, etc. A range of natural fibres and biodegradable polymers with non-biodegradable synthetic polymers is being utilised for developing new products in medical textiles. Since the medical textile applications are directly related to the life of human being, those are required to undergo stringent testing and hygienic criteria, which led to innovative use of variety of fibres and a lot of developments taking place in this area. Use of nanotechnology, tissue engineering, biomaterials along with basic textile structures, viz, fibres, yarns, woven, knitted, nonwoven and braided fabrics and composite structures made it possible to widen the horizon of medical textiles. Especially, innovations in nonwovens have brought a great deal of change in the field of Medicals. Nonwoven textile scaffolds are used to replace or repair different organs, bones, vascular system and in partial replacement of skin. The article will discuss in detail the recent advances in medical textiles field, which will continue to help improving the life of human being considerably with the aid of nonwoven textiles. The rapidly growing field of biomedical textiles and health care products is truly multi-disciplinary in nature. From ancient times the textile materials were used for medical applications in India and Egypt like surgical sponge, linen and silk sutures and strips, catgut, etc.

Categories of medical textiles

Based on applications the medical textile can be broadly categorised as follows:

Personal health care/hygienic products: Bedding, clothing, surgical gowns, cloths, wipes surgical curves, surgical hosiery, diapers, etc. Non-implantable material or medical dressings & auxiliaries: Wound dressing, bandage, plasters, gauge, lint wadding, etc. Implantable materials: Sutures, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, and artificial joints. Extra corporal devices: Artificial kidneys, liver & lungs, etc. The nonwovens are used for the given applications in different forms.

Nonwoven application in medical

The properties of nonwoven fabrics are determined by those of the constituent polymer or fibre and by the bonding process. For instance, expanded PTFE products can be formed to meet varying

porosity requirements. Because of the expanded nature of their microstructure, these materials compress easily and then expanda suture, for example, can expand to fill the needle hole made in a tissueallowing for tissue in growth in applications such as arterial and patch grafts. Polyurethane-based nonwovens produce a product that resembles collagen us material in both structure and mechanical properties, particularly compliance (extension per unit pressure or stress). The porosity of both PTFE- and polyurethane-derived nonwovens can be effectively manipulated through control of the manufacturing processes. Hence by controlling the various parameter of nonwoven they can utilise effectively in different applications of medical. Nonwovens --- huge scope in medical field? Nonwoven possesses following properties due to which they became famous in medical field.

Various parameters can be controlled easily like: Porosity Weight of fabric Thickness Nonwovens are easy to sterilise. Various manufacturing technique options according to applications Economical manufacturing process etc.

What is nonwoven?
Nonwovens are webs made up of fibres. These webs have to be bonded. Bonding methods can be chemical, thermal or mechanical. The development taken place in nonwovens sector includes use of different materials for nonwoven includes Lyocel nonwovens, cellulosic nonwovens, and biodegradable nonwoven. The development has also taken place in the process of manufacturing a nonwoven such as spun bonding and spun lacing, air laying, cross lapped nonwovens, forming random nonwoven webs with the static method, and needle loom for nonwoven. Due to the continuous research, newer nonwoven products started developing such as ecofriendly nonwoven products by solubalisation of viscose, production of nonwovens fibre board panel and latex foam sheet using coir and polypropylene blend, needle punched nonwovens blankets, etc. The vertical and horizontal types of nonwoven products have also been started for utilising in medical textiles. Fibres used in manufacturing of nonwovens for medical applications

Cotton Polyester Polypropylene Viscose glass fibre Wood fluff Polyamide Chitin Layocell

Recent developments in medical nonwoven

Advanced cellulosic nonwovens Prior to 1960, regenerated cellulosic fibres enjoyed 50 years of rapid expansion. Since then, synthetics have grown to dominate the market. Cotton, for centuries the most important of all fibres is taking second place to the combined weight of synthetics and viscose rayon. Rayon now appears relegated to little more than a niche in a global fibre market driven by the ready availability of cheap fossil fuels and the demand for commodity textiles and nonwovens. Nonwoven production was founded on the ready availability of low-cost viscose rayon fibres and these continued to dominate the industry until the mid-seventies. Since then the reducing cost of synthetics coupled with their easy conversion into binder-free spun-laid and melt-blown fabrics caused a steady decline in rayons nonwoven market share. During the late 60s when disposable diapers came in two pieces (reusable plastic pant with rectangular absorbent pad), latex bonded rayon was the cover of choice. At this time, flushability was becoming a key development issue. The rectangular inserts with their heat-sealed latex-bonded rayon covers were too stable to be disposed of in the toilet even after tearing in half. New wet-laid nonwovens made from the specially developed self-bonding collapsed-tube rayon fibres had no wetstrength at all and dispersed easily in flowing water. However when treated with the standard wetstrength agents used in the paper industry it became strong enough in use and remained disintegratable in toilet turbulence. Rayon producers in Europe, Japan and the USA developed such fibres and a small market developed in the USA. The introduction of the more convenient one-piece diaper pushed mothers concerns about 'flushability' into the background. Lyocell nonwovens Lyocell makes excellent nonwovens, especially in those processes that allow its superior aesthetics shine through, like needle punching and HE. Its high strength is of little intrinsic value in disposables, but enables the nonwoven producer to reduce basis weight while meeting targets. Its freedom from shrinkage and high wet stability allows higher area yields in HE processes and its high modulus prevents it from collapsing in the wet to the same extent as viscose rayon. Fibrillation, the development of surface micro fibre on wet abrasion or in high-pressure entanglement, adds an additional dimension for the nonwoven development. Unfortunately, while it has established itself in several profitable niches, its premium positioning has so far prevented its use in mainstream disposables. Spun-laid Lyocell Most fibre-forming polymer solutions can also be converted into continuous yarns, film sponges or indeed nonwoven fabrics. Lyocell dope is no exception and many of the characteristics of the Lyocell process make it a better basis for spun-laid nonwovens than the viscose process ever was. Technically speaking the challenges are not great. In nonwoven industry the leading products are nearly always with those the lowest cost and justification of spun laid cellulosic on added value alone has failed several times already. The ultimate in economy arises from inherently low cost raw material converted on state of the art

machinery at the largest possible scale. The nonwoven industry enjoys the economies of (say) polypropylene because PP is a byproduct of the worlds largest industry, energy. Viscose rayon, a premium product of the timber industry, requires the most costly grades of wood pulp. Lyocell is currently similar, but its simple production process has the so far unexplored potential to use cheaper pulps. It also has the potential to achieve a very high level of scale in textile, and hence the economies of scale that may ultimately interest the major nonwoven converters.

New development in biodegradable nonwovens

Over the last 30 years the nonwovens industry fibre usage has not only grown by a factor of ten. The fibres used have changed from almost exclusively biodegradable to most exclusively nonbiodegradable despite concern for the environment among consumers becoming progressively stronger. In fact in the largest and most potentially, environmentally-sensitive market, cover stock for disposal diapers, and biodegradable products are non-existent. An expressed consumer preference for environmentally friendly products, in the disposables area at least, appears to meet an unmet need. How the nonwovens are manufactured? Various techniques are used for manufacturing of nonwovens but some of the techniques that are used specially for the medical applications point of view are as follows: Needle punched nonwoven blankets Traditionally woven blankets where used in the Far East and Middle East countries. These methods are not economical and for that purpose a special technique has been developed known as needle punching. This process consists of three main stages:

Predatory process Web formation Needling the fibres web

The various particulars areas as follows:

Variables Fabric Needling particulars 350 250

weight density 9

(g/sq. (p/sq.

metre) metre)

Depth of penetration (mm)

It is observed the thermal insulation value increases with increase in the nonwoven bulk density and needling density. Air permeability value reduces as there is increase in the nonwoven bulk density. Application development foam substitution The objective for research is to develop a suitable nonwoven for the medical applications. Web forming process development

Forming a random nonwoven webs with the static method This development has taken place for random fibre arrangements of the roller card in nonwoven processed by different voltages and electro panel shapes. In this development it has been found that by changing shape of electrode panel can provide better random effects when the same voltage is used. The research indicates that the best panel shape is the circular holes and is positioned between the cylinder and doffer. The optimum random effect is obtained when original panel is electrified to 2kv between cylinder and doffer, or the panel with the circular holes is electrified with 20kv and placed over conveyor belts. This process becomes very useful:

i) To maintain the uniformity of web ii) Iin manufacturing hybrid and composite products, which are used for implantation purpose effectively. Electrode Fig Wet-laid i) "Borrowed ii)Fibres: 0.3 mm technology 25 from mm the & 6.0 paper dtex nonwovens industry max

iii)Fibres are dispersed and suspended in water at 0.05 % concentration Cross-lapped nonwovens Cross-lapped nonwoven differs in many ways from other production process for nonwovens and the biggest advantage of this development is the flexibility regarding product and weight. Here the delivery belt is doubled, ie, batt of several layers are being formed; the card web enters the lappers with constant speed; the layering carriage has to perform an oscillating movement, as the layering carriage reduces its speed during reversal and is slowed down to zero so that it leads to accumulation of fibres in that area. Drylaid carded Fig Needle loom for nonwoven In recent years development has taken place for manufacturing all types of needle loom of nonwoven having the following advantagesI) The linger needle path results in better fibre orientation and fibre entanglement than the conventional II) Superior web properties can be needle obtained with fewer needle machine preparation

III)It greatly enhances the construction of composites and hybrid products which are very useful for medical applications.

Some applications of nonwovens in medical textiles

Simple Bandages bandages

Light Compression Orthopedic Gowns Caps Masks Disposable Drapes Bed Blankets Floor coverings sheets (under of Protective Incontinence Cover Absorbent Other Last 2 pix surgical Disposable

support

bandages bandages bandages surgical Clothing

Coverings (under hospitals trail) trail) (anti-bacterial) clothing diaper/sheet stock layer layers cloths/wipes Cloths/wipes

Conclusion
Textiles are very important in all aspects of medicine and surgery and the range and extent of applications to which these materials are used is a reflection of their enormous versatility. Products used for medical or surgery applications may at first sight seem either very simple or complex items. In reality, however in-depth research is required to engineer a textile for even a simplest cleaning wipe in order to meet stringent professional specifications. Advances in nonwovens have resulted in a new breed of medical textiles. Advanced composite materials containing combination of fibres and fabrics have been developed for applications where biocompatibility and strength are required. It is predicted that the nonwoven materials will continue to have greater impact in this sector owing to the large member of characteristics and performance criteria required from these materials. References 1. Wellington Sears Handbook of Industrial Textiles by Sabit Adanur.

2. Medical Textile a Unique Agenda for Medical Network, Synthetic Fibres, April-June 2002. 3. Antimicrobial and Medical Use of Textiles, Textile Asia, Sep 2001. 4.Wound Treatment, 5. www.technical-textile.net . Medical Textiles, Jan 2003.

6. Textile in Hospital Hygiene, IFB, Jan 2004. 7. Antimicrobial Properties of PET Textile Materials for Medical Applications, IFB 3/2003. 8. 9. New Emerging Textile Materials for Medical Applications, MMTI, Nov The Use of Innovative Textile Structures for Medical Applications, ATJ, Nov 2001. 2001.

10. Meeting Demand for Cost-efficient Production of Hollow Fibre Membranes for Medical Use, IFJ, Oct 2004.
published September , 2008