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Opportunities For
New Entrepreneurs In Medical Textiles -
A Sun Rise Industry And Role Of Centre Of Excellence SITRA In
Promotion Of Medical Textiles
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Dr. Ketankumar Vadodaria
Head, Centre of Excellence for
Medical Textiles-SITRA, Coimbatore |
Abstract
India is the second largest player in textiles after
China. But when it comes to technical textiles where
almost 16 different fields have been identified, India is
still an infant. Medical textiles is one of the fastest
growing technical textile fields in India and across the
globe. Medical textiles is a sunrise industry. Medical
textiles comprises of as simple products such as wipes to
life saving and more complex products such as vascular
grafts. India being second largest populous country in the
world, with more baby birth rates and increase in average
lifespan, the demand for medical textiles is going to
increase year on year. Moreover, capabilities to produce
cost effective medical textile products opens up doors of
the international market also. The paper presents an
introduction, classification, scope and challenges in the
field of medical textiles.
1. INTRODUCTION
Medical textiles is one of the fastest
growing technical textile fields in India. Technical
textiles are the textiles developed and manufactured
textiles to meet specific functional properties for
specific end use, engineered required by combining
properties of different textile structures and materials.
Below is the Classification list of technical textiles: |
| Medical Textiles :- |
Hygiene and Medical (Healthcare Textiles) |
| Agro Tech :- |
Agriculture, Aquaculture, Horticulture and
Forestry |
| Build Tech :- |
Building and Construction |
| Cloth Tech :- |
Technical Components of Footwear and
Clothing |
| Geo Tech :- |
Geotextiles and
civil engineering |
| Home Tech :- |
Technical Components of Furniture,
Household Textiles |
| Indu Tech :- |
Filtration, Conveying, Cleaning and other
Industrial uses |
| Mobil Tech :- |
Automobiles, Shipping, Railways and
Aerospace |
| Oeko Tech :- |
Environmental Protection |
| Pack Tech :- |
Packaging Components |
| Pro Tech :- |
Personal and Property Protection |
| Sport Tech :- |
Sport and Leisure |
2. Classification of medical textile
products
Medical textiles are those technical
textiles in day to day life for maintaining hygienic & health
conditions as well as in assisting / performing medical |
surgical procedure including inplantables.
• Corresponding author:
coemed@sitra.org.in;
lab.bd@sitra.org.in
Medical textiles can be divided into:
1) Consumer products – Eg: Sanitary
napkins, baby diapers, wipes, adult diapers
2) Hospital products – Eg: Surgical gowns, surgical drapes
Medical textiles is classified into 5 categories
• Implantable : inside the patient’s body
• Non-Implantable : on the patient’s body
• Extracorporeal device : Besides the patient’s body
• Healthcare textiles : For the body (Usually hospital
products)
• Hygiene textiles : For the body (Usually consumer products)
2.1 List of products in all sectors
Hygiene and Healthcare Medical Textiles
1. Surgical gown/drapes
2. Surgical facemasks
3. Beddings, blankets, sheets, pillow covers.
4. Feminine hygiene products
5. Wet wipes
6. Adult incontinence diapers
7. Underpads
Non-Implantable Medical Textiles
.1. Compression stockings
2. Wound dressings
3. Waddings
4. Tubular bandages
5. Gauze
6. Pressure garments
Implantable Medical Textiles
1. Vascular grafts
2. Abdominal wall patches/meshes
3. Sutures
4. Heart patches/valves
5. Stents: pet monofilament
6. Tendon/ligament reinforcements
7. Dura patches (Non-woven)
8. Artificial veins
9. Artificial joints and bones
10. Artificial skin and artificial cartilage
Extracorporeal Medical Textiles
1. Hemodialysis
2. Artificial liver
3. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
4. Artificial heart
5. HME filter
6. Leukodepletion filter
3. Features of medical textiles
The desired features of medical textiles
would be
• High levels of breathability/Non
breathability/barrier performance
• Hydrophilic/ Hydrophobic
• Broad spectrum of antimicrobial resistance such as bacteria,
viral, fungal, mould resistance etc
• Biocompatibility
• Cell adhesion/Cell non-adhesion surface
• 2 D & 3 D structures
• Sterilability
• Biodegradable/Non biodegradable
• Elasticity/non elasticity
• Strength
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