International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583

A Brief Review Research on Use of Textile in

Medical Science
Dr. Ankita Singh Rao

Assistant Professor, Poornima University, Jaipur, India

Abstract: Medical textile is combination resultant of technology and textile in medical area. Textile materials are used for healthcare
and hygiene products like gauze or bandage. The textile materials are having some specific properties which is to be very useful in
medical sector Textile based materials that are used in medical applications like fibers, yarns, fabrics and composites. These materials
are depending upon the application, the requirements of textile for medical applications. Medical textile products are biocompatible,
having good resistance to acids and alkalies, micro-organisms. They also having properties like good dimensional stability, very good in
absorption, air permeability.

Keywords: Medical textile, bandage, biocompatible, micro-organisms, air permeability, healthcare and hygiene.

1. General Introduction

 Definition of Medical System: Medical system is

defined as a health system or health care system in which
people resources and groups are provided health care
services to the target population.
 Definition of Textile: Textile is a composition of natural
and synthetic fibers which are used for the production of
clothing materials.

2. What is Medical Textile

The textile materials are having some specific properties
which is to be very important in using medical system. Some
of textile materials are highly used in medical applications
together with fibers, yarns, fabrics and their composites. *Source of Image: technicaltextile.net
“Depending upon the application and the requirements of *[1]“
textile material for medical applications are: Biocompatible; From a scientific point of view, medical textiles are
Good resistance to alkalis, acids and micro-organisms; Good located at the interfaces between technical disciplines and
dimensional stability; Elasticity Free from contamination or life sciences. On the one hand, the technical aspect concerns
impurities; Absorption / Repellency; Air permeability”. textile engineering, material chemistry, process control,
testing and certification, etc., which are needed for the
Medical textile means textile products used for the medical manufacture of high-quality medical textile products. On the
purposes. Textile is a very important part of human life since other hand, life sciences such as medicine, microbiology,
a very long time. The term medical textile is created newly. and other related subjects are required for the development
For the medical purposes textile material have a very various of functional performances of these products. In practice, the
range of properties that are flexibility, absorbency, strength, different scientific and technical disciplines interact and
elasticity, non -toxic, flame retardant, non- allergic, and non- overlap with one another, with new developments in any one
irritant dyes are used in the medical products. Medical of these branches able to generate new innovations in
textile is also known as health care and hygiene textile and it others”.
is one of branch of technical textile. Medical textile is
categorized as: 3. Non-Implantable Medical Textiles
a) Non-Implantable Materials – wound dressings,
plasters, bandages etc. 3.1 What is wound?
b) Extra Corporeal Devices – artificial kidney, liver and
lungs. Wound is discontinuity; break in epithelium tissue of the
c) Implantable Material- sutures, vascular graft, artificial skin. Skin has the largest area of the body where the wounds
joints etc. occur: by infections like bacterial, fungal, virus. It is a
d) Health Care and Hygiene Products - bedding, clothing, breach in the continuity of skin or tissue caused by an
surgical gown, wipes etc. accident, act of violence or surgery. Wound healing is that
body mechanism which easily repairs the entire injured
parts. It is a loss of continuity of skin due to injury mainly
soft tissues are damaged during injury. It is simple when

Volume 9 Issue 4, April 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20409140828 DOI: 10.21275/SR20409140828 592
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583
only skin is involved; it is complex when it involves 3.2 Implantable Medical Textiles
underlying nerves, vessels, and tendons etc.
Textile materials are soft very flexible, and strong in nature
Wound care products are comes under non – implantable although they are similar to the physical and mechanical
materials such as absorbent pads, bandages and plasters. properties of within the human body structures. [3] “Textile
These are used for external application. Wound dressings are fibers, yarns, fabric and composites and 3-D shaped fabrics
that usually made from the highly absorbent fibers or from woven, knitted, nonwoven, braided and embroidery
polymer coatings which absorb high blood and provide good play a vital role in the manufacture of various implants,
medication some are supplementary finishing materials and including the replacement of diseased or non-functioning
compositions that becomes an essential part of the product. blood vessels and segments of aorta or other big arteries. It
[2]“Wound dressings generally consist of a layer of is even feasible to produce vascular prosthesis as fine as 2-
absorbent material, such as an absorbent gauze or foam 3mm in diameter. These materials are used in effecting
layer, wherein the layer is supported on an adhesive coated repair to the body whether it is wound closure (sutures) or
semi-permeable backing sheet. An adhesive-coated margin replacement surgery (vascular grafts, artificial ligaments
of the backing sheet extends outwardly from the edges of the etc). By careful control of the polymer and fiber structures
absorbent layer for attachment of the dressing over a wound and also by appropriate surface treatment, textile-based
by adhesion to the skin surrounding the wound. The materials can be engineered into two- or three-dimensional
absorbent layer serves to absorb wound exudates”. structures that can be used as artificial ligaments, hernia
meshes, vascular prostheses, and many other novel
implants”.

*source of Image : Google Images

Volume 9 Issue 4, April 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20409140828 DOI: 10.21275/SR20409140828 593
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583

*source of Image: Medical Textiles: Application of Implantable Medical Textiles Medical Textiles By Shah Md. Maruf
Hasan, Md. Shahjalal, Jaglul Hoque Mridha & A. M. Riasat Alam Northern University.
Global Journal of Medical Research: K Interdisciplinary Volume 19 Issue 4 Version 1.0 Year 2019, Peer Reviewed
International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-4618 & Print ISSN: 0975-5888

3.3 Extra Corporeal Devices materials. Multilayer fibers are composed with several layers
of needle-punched fabrics that are having in different
Extracorporeal fibers are those which are used in the densities which may also be used and designed to remove
mechanical organs such as artificial kidney, artificial liver the waste materials quickly . [4]“Mechanical lungs use
and mechanical lung. Use of an artificial organ is a life microporous membranes that provide high permeability for
saving treatment which can re-establish and restore the gases (both O2 and CO2) but low permeability for liquid
mechanism that does not function, and it provides a active flow and functions in the same manner as the natural lung
balance that can be obtained by organ transplantation to allowing oxygen to come into contact with the patient's
recover health again. The function of artificial kidney is to blood. During the flow, oxygen, which is maintained at a
get circulating blood through a membrane, which can also be high partial pressure, displaces carbon dioxide, thus
a flat sheet or a bundle of hollow regenerated cellulose fibers effecting purification”.
in the form of cellophane that hold the unwanted waste

Volume 9 Issue 4, April 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20409140828 DOI: 10.21275/SR20409140828 594
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583

*source of Image: Google Images

3.4 Health Care and Hygiene Products Ajmeri R. Jitendra, Ajmeri Chitra and Joshi N. B,
described about the textile material and products that have
It is a very essential area of textile where is the healthcare been skillfully managed for particular and suitable needs for
and hygiene sector from other medical applications and medical and surgical applications. During the management
sector. The wide range of products are available for of products there are some points which are to be kept in
healthcare and hygiene they are usually used either in the mind are absorbency, strength, air permeability, durability,
operating theatre or in the hospital wards for hygienic and elasticity of textile based product for wound management.
care purpose , and safety of the staff and patients. They
might be available in the option washable or disposable. Abhishek, 2012, research paper describes the protection of
patients from infection. In the field of medical science there
are so many textile based products used like bandage, cotton
gauze, stitch thread (use to close wound) etc. And in the area
of surgery woven and non-woven textile based products are
used to control infections from microorganisms
“.Nonwovens used to control the barriers in the surgical
environment. They protect from fluid particulate and
microorganisms to reduce the chance of cross infections”,
generally in the surgical operations there is a significant
reduction in the post -operative infection rate when the
disposable products are used. It also reduces the chance of
wound infection. “They are usually used in the composite
form, they are sterile, soft, antibacterial and water and other
liquid repellent as well as absorbent. For the end use of
4. Review Studies on Medical Textiles surgical other area of medical nonwoven can be wood pulp
and also from manmade fiber such as nylon, polypropylene,
Prof. Laga S.K and Darne Apurva 2013, the aim of this polyester, polyethene, glass and polyterafburoethylene
article to describe that the wound healing depends on proper (PTEF) etc. Non-woven plays an important role in the field
medication and also on proper dressing, variation of dressing of hospitals”.
material depends on type of wound and wound management.
5. Role of Textile in Cardiology
Bhargava Deepti and Jahan Shahnaz 2012, expressed
views on textile based dressing. Chosen of the material for Cardiovascular system in which blood flows in one direction
wound according to the absorbency, elasticity, comfort only. The system set in the central part of human body called
ability, durability etc. Following these are the properties of as heart and it is made up of three different types of blood
textile material which are seen in dressing material of vessels known as artries, veins and capillaries. The
wound. Wound dressing promotes the wound healing. cardiovascular system have two main circulatory systems
Dressing on wound is to prevent or protect the wounded area that known as arterial system and venous system both
from the external application. “The key qualities of fibers system based on the circulation of blood to heart. The
and dressings as wound care products include that they are venous system helps in common blood circulation which is
bacteriostatic, anti-viral, fungi static, non-toxic, high to send oxygen reduced blood rich in cell metabolism waste
absorbent, non-allergic, breathable, haemostatic, to heart. The venous return in the direction of the heart
biocompatible, and can be manipulative to incorporate depends on venous pressure that is developed in the veins,
medications, also provide reasonable mechanical the accurate returning of blood in normal venous system
properties”. Hence textile based material or product is very which includes perforatory veins, deep veins superfical veins
useful for wound dressing either in surgical wound or non- and complex network of veins. Deep and superfical veins are
surgical wound, the variety of material totally depends on related with perforatory veins. In normal condition the heart
type of wound and the depth of wound. pumps pure blood which transfers oxygen and nutrients to
artries, once the blood flows from artries into the capaliries
with necessary nutrients of pure blood which tranfers to
Volume 9 Issue 4, April 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20409140828 DOI: 10.21275/SR20409140828 595
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583
tissues and blood cells and replace imprure blood containing or impure blood delivered to deep veins after passing
waste products, carbon dioxide, water and urea The venous capilaries and push it back to heart.

*source of image : www.nlm.nih.gov,

Role of Alternative Medical system (Homeopathy) for the Development of product which will in the remedy of Varicose Vein Ulcer By :
Ankita Singh Rao

Artificial veins and arteries used to replace in the segment of 6. Conclusion

natural cardiovascular system that are blocked or weakened.
Textile based vascular grafts are: Polyester grafts, Dacron Medical textile is one of the most important area of
graft, polytetraflurothyene grafts . They are biocompatible, emerging technical textiles sector with the wide range of
flexible and durable in nature. They have good stability to applications in development of new products . Such as to
sterilize and good resistance to antibodies (bacteria and formulate and construct artificial organs with functioning,
virus). use of microporous hollow fibers made up of polyester,
viscose, polypropylene, silicone, etc. Textiles are now more
and more developing into interdisciplinary areas with high-
tech products interesting to changes the market.

References
[1] Bhat S.V. (2002) Cardiovascular Implants and
Extracorporeal Devices. In: Biomaterials. Springer,
Dordrecht, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0328-
5_9
[2] (Y Quin, 'Smart wound-care materials, in 'Smart textiles
for medicine and healthcare: Materials, systems and
application', Ed. By L. Van Langenhove, Woodhead
Pulishing Limited, England, 2007, p 27-49).
[3] ,[4]www.indiantextile journals.com , Nonwovens &
Technical Textile By M Saravanan and A Thambidurai.
[5] Role of Alternative Medical system (Homeopathy) for
the Development of product which will in the remedy of
Varicose Vein Ulcer By : Ankita Singh Rao.(p 2-4, 23-
*source of image: Google images
24, 34-36)
[6] Medical Textiles: Application of Implantable Medical
[5] “A major requirement for the use of the method is that
Textiles Medical Textiles By Shah Md. Maruf Hasan,
the heart valve prosthesis is flexible enough to be folded into
Md. Shahjalal, Jaglul Hoque Mridha & A. M. Riasat
the lumen of a small diameter catheter. A standard material
Alam Northern University.
used for the construction of arterial grafts and which could
also be suitable for engineering heart valve prosthesis is
polyester textile fabric. Textile valves are alternatively, can
be designed with durability and to exhibit hemodynamic
similar to the native valve, lowering the risk for
thrombosis”.

Volume 9 Issue 4, April 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20409140828 DOI: 10.21275/SR20409140828 596