Siw Eriksson

Three-dimensional fabrics as medical textiles

The number of 3D textile applications in medicine is rapidly increasing as new technology and procedures are introduced in health care. A first estimate of current medical applications of both general and 3D textiles is presented based on the medical devices classification system established by the US Food and Drug Administration. The textile specifics for these applications are covered from a textile technique perspective where the different 3D weaving as well as knitting, braiding and non-woven techniques are described and how their properties they can contribute in medical applications. In addition, emerging opportunities based on smart textiles as part of textile systems are described on a general level. The strong application areas of 3D medical textiles, i.e. wound management, vascular grafting and scaffolding for tissue engineering are covered in detail both from the medical and textiles perspective. Finally, some future lines of development are suggested and a short discussion on how new 3D textiles applications can be developed in close cooperation between the textile industry and the health care sector is presented.