Medical textiles or healthcare textiles present a new\nfrontier in the field of technical textiles with consumption increasing at a\nrate of 4.6% per year globally (Textile Guide). Increasing life expectancy and\nimprovements in medical coverage are fuelling this rise in demand for medical\ntextiles and encouraging research into further applications for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bandage materials are an example of a high growth area of medical textiles that still uses traditional fabric compositions and holds plenty of room for innovation. For example, bandages for holding dressings in place are customarily made from a simple loosely woven cotton or linen gauze. Elasticated, adhesive and compression bandages are manufactured from woven fabrics<\/a> using PVC, polyethylene or polyurethane with latex to provide added stretch in order to apply light pressure to the affected area. While effective, further enhancements could see bandage materials playing a more active role in patient healing and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surgical hosiery is a further area of\nmedical textiles that offers potential. This includes products such as pressure\nsocks or sleeves for use after surgery for ulcers and deep vein thrombosis. This\nfamily of healthcare textiles are produced using polyamide, polyester, cotton, and\nelastomeric yarns to create nonwoven and knitted fabrics. However, surgical\nhosiery or compression garments often require customised fabric compositions\nfor the treatment of specific conditions and for meeting the needs of a patient\u2019s\nspecific physiology thus fuelling the need for a greater variety of fabric\ntypes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n