An Introduction to Healthcare and Medical Textiles

Book excerpt: This textbook is a scientific introduction to the study, engineering and applications of medical textiles. It moves systematically from the fundamentals of textile materials and their fabrication through biocompatibility and biodegradability to the applications of textiles in healthcare, ranging from hygiene to wound care, grafts and implantables. The book analyzes how the internal structures of various types of textiles, wovens, knits and nonwovens, are related to specific medical/biomedical end uses. While carefully explaining the basics, the book aims to show the connection between textile properties and the design and development of medical and healthcare textile products. This text is designed for advanced students and industry-based textile researchers, engineers, and product developers.