Medical textiles definition

To define what we mean by a medical textile, it may be appropriate to use the same approach that has been established for a product qualifying as a medical device. Using this approach, n medical textile is defined as any textile product manufactured with the intention to be used to diagnose, prevent, monitor, treat or alleviate disease, to compensate an injury or handicap, to investigate, replace or modify the anatomy or a physiological process, or to control conception. This definition taken from the European Medical Device Directive (its U.S. counterpart is issued by the Food and Drug Association [FDA]) is made from a regulatory perspective and specifies what criteria medical devices need to fulfil to make them safe to use and make it possible to sort out... 

This book chapter evaluates the definition, classification, and scope of POCs in different applications. POCs represent one of the most widely used polymeric materials. Synergistic reactions between the polymer matrix and filler materials (particulate, fiber, and structural fillers) result in modified properties. This book chapter contributes a brief introduction followed by a definition of processing and an extensive illustration of the different applications of POCs in a variety of fields (consumer, medical, agricultural, packaging, transportation, electrical, construction, and textile). POCs with natural wood fiber are widely used in consumer applications. They result in wood-like texture and properties with the cost of plastic. 

The 1976 amendment sought to define medical devices. These definitions are worth considering because they have created challenges for developers of biotextiles today. At the time of their crafting, the authors of the definitions did not anticipate the advent of devices such as tissue scaffolds, bio-absorbable materials or textiles with biologically modified surfaces ... 

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