JTATM - North Carolina State University

Mission Statement

To establish a high quality forum relevant to the needs of global industry and higher education that will provide leadership in the timely dissemination of information dealing with all aspects of textile and apparel, technology and management.

NC STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF TEXTILES IS LAUNCHING NEW MEDICAL TEXTILES CONCENTRATIONS

Abdel-Fattah M Seyam
College of Textiles, NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA

Almost all types of textile structures are used in manufacturing medical products. This is due to their excellent mechanical and physical properties, which can be designed and engineered to meet a range of requirements. Multifilament and monofilament yarns are used in toothbrushes, dental floss, and sutures. Braids are used as sutures and replacements for damaged ligaments and tendons. Woven and knitted fabrics are used in many medical products such as bandages, artificial vascular grafts, mesh fabrics for hernia repair, heart valves, urinary bladder support slings, cardiac support devices, pressure garments, and prosthetic disc nuclei. Examples of medical textile products from nonwoven fabrics are wound dressings, incontinence pads, diapers, and operating room protective clothing such as scrubs, masks, caps, and gowns.

New Product Development

Examples of ongoing research and new product development in medical textiles are

Improvements in vascular grafts healing and compliance, especially in small size grafts of 6 mm length of diameter or lower

Protective clothing to prevent needle-sticks injuries

Development of seamless shaped products

Electroactive polymer actuators as artificial muscles

Smart textile fabrics for physiological monitoring that communicate the status of a patient to a healthcare base

Thermal pads to maintain temperature

Intelligent knee sleeves that provide an audio signal for athletes if the knee bends beyond certain angles to prevent knee injuries

Smart skin to enhance tissue growth

Tissue engineering, which uses textile implants, and promises many innovative applications in medicine such as dental implants, bone grafting, and cosmetic surgery

Research in this area is challenging and requires the collaboration of researchers from several disciplines (textiles, computer engineering, bioengineering, polymer, healthcare, management).

Worldwide medical textiles market represents about 8% (about $4.8 billion) of the technical textiles sector. Experts are predicting a significant growth of medical textiles for many years to come due to increase of life expectancy and the demand for better quality healthcare.

The Curriculum

The NC State University College of Textiles faculty recognized the industry need for college graduates with a strong background in different disciplines of medical textiles. The College is positioned to prepare graduates with medical textile knowledge by offering new courses, grouped in three concentrations. The three concentrations are an option for a student pursuing a B.S. degree in the NCSU College of Textiles.

The three concentrations are Biotextiles (devices implanted inside the body), Medical Textiles (applications outside the body), and Healthcare Product Management (supply chain in a regulatory environment). While each concentration is comprised of six courses (or 18 semester credit hours), the core courses in each B.S. program provide a coherent background for a medical textile concentration. The chart below illustrates the courses of each concentration.

College of Textiles
P.O. Box 8301
Raleigh, NC 27695-8301
Telephone: (919) 515-6646
FAX: (919) 515-3733
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Last Site Revision:
Sept. 8, 2003