Medical textiles

The developer of an antimicrobial textile treatment shown to be effective against one of the seven known human coronaviruses has given free licences for the formulation to three of its competitors.

A German company claims just one of its textile machines will now be able to produce 240 000 complete face masks a month thanks to an innovative design that allows the product to be made in a singl

NatureWorks has donated enough of its biopolymer (Ingeo) as is needed to produce ten million re-usable face masks.

Promethean Particles (Promethean) of Nottingham, UK, is working with textile companies and research facilities to explore the anti-viral effects of its copper nanoparticles, which it has developed 

An antiviral and antimicrobial treatment for textiles that is proven effective against the 229E strain of human coronavirus has been launched by HeiQ of Zurich, Switzerland.

Working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cardinal Health has voluntarily recalled 9.1 million surgical gowns that may have been contaminated at a manufacturing plant in China.

Researchers from ETH Zürich, Switzerland, and the National University of Singapore have developed a bandage that helps blood to clot and does not stick to the wound: the first time that both proper

Research into the development of therapeutic textiles to prevent lower limb disorders is being undertaken by Spanish textile research institute AITEX of Alcoy.

A team of researchers led by the tissue bioengineering unit at the University of Bordeaux in France has created a yarn-like material derived from human skin cells that could be used to close wounds

French engineering company Fibroline has entered into two licensing agreements in the healthcare sector.

A study by Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology has shown how a material’s auxetic behaviour can be enhanced and used to regenerate human tissue following injuries

Additive manufacturing (AM) is being widely used to generate human tissues and organs for implantation.

An implantable prosthesis for repairing anatomical defects, such as a tissue- or muscle-wall defect, particularly a groin hernia, has been developed by Bard of Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA.

US researchers have developed a new treatment for glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, which uses coaxial electrospinning to form drug-containing membranes.

A protective jacket with pockets and removable sleeves for use by professionals in a hospital or healthcare setting has been developed by Nuno Antunes of Matosinhos, Portugal.

A method for producing dope-dyed antibacterial viscose filament (rayon) for use in the manufacture of medical textiles is disclosed by E. Miroglio of Sliven, Bulgaria.

A multilayer, breathable dressing to treat chronic wounds and block external pathogens from infecting them has been developed by InMedBio of Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.

A former medical student at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust has designed what is believed to be the UK’s first disposable and sterile headscarf for staff to wear in operating

More than 1350 Australian women have won a seven-year-old class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) of New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, for misleading patients and surgeons about

Antimicrobial dressings for treating biofilms in wounds have been developed by Argentum Medical of Geneva, Illinois, USA.

While men are more prone to inguinal hernias owing to their narrow and deep pelvis, there is a disparity between the sexes in terms of how they respond to mesh implantation.

A prosthesis for use as a wall reinforcement in parietal and/or visceral surgery has been developed by Medtronic Sofradim Production of Trévoux, France. The device is said to retain its three-dimen

A dressing that facilitates the rapid healing of wounds is disclosed by Healthko of Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

Researchers in the USA have developed a portable electrospinning device that can manufacture bandages and apply them directly to a wound.

Kimberly-Clark is to invest US$20 million to expand nonwovens production capacity at its manufacturing facility in Corinth, Mississippi, USA, to support growth in the North American personal care m

A warp-knitted surgical mesh that incorporates a nanoscale surface treatment has received pre-market clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Temperature-responsive textiles that can be used to create self-fitting garments that only require body heat to function have been developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneap

A hypoallergenic hydrogel dressing for the treatment of various types of wounds, including burns, cuts, tears, blisters and ulcers, and post-surgical incisions, has been developed by Nelson Innovat

Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon have agreed to pay US$117 million to settle lawsuits in the USA following allegations of deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices.

A single-layer surgical gauze has been developed by B-ReS of Borgosatollo, Italy.

A drape for use in cranial surgical procedures has been developed by Medline Industries of Northfield, Illinois, USA.

A knitted barbed prosthetic fabric for the repair of abdominal hernias has been developed by Medtronic Sofradim Production of Trévoux, France.

A resorbable polymeric mesh implant for use in the reconstruction of soft-tissue defects has been developed by Novus Scientific of Uppsala, Sweden.

Low-profile implantable textiles for aneurysm repair and transcatheter aortic-valve replacement procedures have been developed by the Secant Group.

Imbed Biosciences of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, USA, is enhancing its silver-coating technology with the addition of gallium ions to provide improved antibacterial efficacy for wound dressings used to t

Wound dressings with antibacterial, antiviral and/or antifungal activity have been developed by researchers from ConvaTec of Deeside, UK.

Kimberly-Clark of Irving, Texas, USA, will reportedly invest US$42 million in its product

An endovascular stent-graft (endograft) composed of an active textile that can change shape once placed inside the body and after activation has been developed by an inventor in the USA.

Cortland Biomedical has opened a new, purpose-built manufacturing facility for the design, development and validation of biomedical textile constructions.

Lauma Fabrics of Liepaja, Latvia, a manufacturer of lace, elastic knitted fabric and ribbons, has separated its medical business with the establishment of a new subsidiary called Lauma Medical.

Thin, flexible fibres made from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been used to bridge damaged, non-conductive cardiac tissue and deliver the electrical signals needed to keep a heart beating.

A stent-graft prosthesis that can be assembled at its site of implantation, rather than being pre-manufactured, has been developed by Swiss Capital – Engineering of Zürich, Switzerland.

Tencel lyocell fibres from cellulosic fibre producer Lenzing are being used to help improve the quality of life for “butterfly children”.

A calcium alginate fabric that can be used as a wound dressing has been developed by Qingdao Bright Moon Seaweed Group.

A silicone gel-coated wound dressing in which the substrate surfaces have different levels of tackiness – making it easier to apply – has been developed by KCI USA of San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Engineers from the UK’s University of Edinburgh and Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, in St Gallen have manufactured a thin artificial skin from nanofibres.

Milliken & Co, a producer of performance and protective textiles, speciality chemicals and floorcoverings, has acquired Andover Healthcare, a manufacturer of cohesive bandages and compression s

A patented coating technology (Textilise) that makes a permanently antimicrobial surface without affecting the properties of the textile is now available, according to the Irish company behind the

A company specializing in electrospinning equipment to make fibre-based medical materials claims its latest unit (MediSpin XL) can reproducibly and continuously manufacture, on an industrial scale,