Author(s): Zeba Jamal, Dr. Nirmal Yadav and Sushma Rani

Abstract:
Increasingly intimate combination of Textile Technology and Medical Sciences has made an emerging multidisciplinary field with tremendous potential. Medical Textiles represent structures designed and accomplished for a medical application. The number of applications is diverse, ranging from a single thread suture to the complex composite structures for bone replacement and from the simple cleaning wipe to advanced barrier fabrics used in operating rooms. Textile materials and products, that have been engineered to meet particular needs, are suitable for any medical and surgical application where a combination of strength, flexibility and sometimes moisture and air permeability are required. The medical textile industries have diversified with new materials and innovative designs. Recently, application of textiles has started going beyond the usual wound care, incontinence pads, plasters etc., Latest innovation i.e., wide variety of woven, non-woven, knitted forms of textile increasingly finding their way into a variety of surgical procedures. As the healthcare industry is growing enormously in India, the demand for the Medical Textile is also on the rise. Medical textiles are a major growth area within the technical textile sector and the range of applications for such products continue to grow and increase in diversity with every new development. The introduction of new materials, the improvement in production techniques and fibre properties, and the use of more accurate and comprehensive testing have all had significant influence on advancing fibres and fabrics for medical applications. As more is understood about medical textiles, there is every reason to believe that a host of valuable and innovative products will emerge.