What makes nonwoven fabric ideal for medical use?

Here's why nonwoven fabric is a great material for medical applications. Unlike traditional fabrics, which are interlaced, nonwoven is created by bonding either through heat, chemicals, or mechanics. Because of this, nonwoven fabrics are highly breathable, and able to allow air and moisture to pass through while still keeping dust and microorganisms at bay. The breathability is especially important for medical staff during long shifts who use surgical masks and gowns. Nonwoven fabrics are also very durable and can have high tensile strength, which prevents contamination of medical materials. Their other nonwoven properties make them great for the medical field as well.  

Nonwoven's Role in Preventing Microbial Contamination in Healthcare   

Nonwoven's important barrier properties help in preventing microbial contamination, which is a major focus in the healthcare industry. The use of nonwoven fabric technologies enable the construction of barrier materials capable of preventing the passage of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.

This holds true for disposable medical products like surgical drapes and wound dressings. These items come into contact with patients’ wounds or surgical sites. The dense fiber structure of nonwoven materials creates a physical barrier that restricts microbes from penetrating the fabric and ultimately reduces the risk of infection. In addition, many types of nonwoven used in medical environments are treated with antimicrobial agents. These agents are used to further enhance the fabric’s microbes resisting qualities and cut down the chances of cross contamination between patients and medical personnel. Reusable fabrics can harbor microbes that cleaning does not remove, whereas nonwoven products are single use. This eliminates the risk of remaining contamination from a previous use and makes nonwoven a safer choice for critical medical use.  

For nonwoven to be used for medical applications, its Comfort and Biocompatibility are very important. When medical personnel wear nonwoven products for long periods of time, like scrub suits and face shields, nonwoven Comfort is very important. Nonwoven has a soft and smooth texture that feels gentle against the skin.

This is especially relevant to those patients with sensitive skin who may use nonwoven wound care products for longs periods. Due to its texture and gentle sensitive skin care properties, nonwoven is more skin friendly. It also is non-irritating, hypo-allergenic, non-toxic and free from any worrisome substances that may trigger skin conditions. As an example, non woven gauze used in wound dressings is hypo-allergenic and designed to comfortably be in contact with open sores to not inhibit healing. Biocompatability and comfort together to soften the harshness and stress frequently associated with nonwoven materials.

The Cost Effectiveness and Disposability of Nonwoven in Medical Settings

In medical settings, Nonwoven improves both cost effectiveness and disposability, which provide an essential value. In healthcare environments that require strict infection control measures, disposability of products that are used is seen as the primary method of avoiding cross contamination. Cost wise, it is cheaper to manufacture novwoven materials in comparison with woven and knitted textiles, as it enables economically friendly mass production of disposable medical goods. As an example, it is cheaper to produce disposable face coverings, gloves, and bed linens out of nonwoven textiles in bulk rather than pay for the reusables.

Also, since you can discard nonwoven fabrics after use, you don't have to worry about time-consuming and costly cleaning, sterilizing, and upkeep procedures associated with reusable textiles. Cleaning reusable medical textiles involves high-temperature washing, the use of specific detergents, and subsequent sterilization through autoclaving, which is quite costly and labor-intensive. Healthcare facilities can use nonwoven disposable products to save on time and labor, and operational costs, while still upholding required sanitary standards. ​

The Adaptability of Nonwoven Uses Across Various Medical Products

Nonwoven can be an adaptable and flexible healthcare material, with diverse uses, and value within the healthcare sector because most of its properties can be altered during the production of nonwoven. Healthcare staff have different needs and nonwoven fabrics can be made to accommodate varying thicknesses, absorbance, and barrier abilities. Nonwoven fabrics used for surgical gowns have thicker nonwoven to provide greater protection from fluid penetration as well as be comfortable, while the nonwoven for lightweight face masks is thinner and more breathable. That is why nonwoven can be used to make a variety of medical products such as surgical drapes, wound dressings, incontinence pads, and medical wipes. Each of these products serve different functions and nonwoven can be designed to meet required specifications.

Take for instance, customizing nonwoven wound dressings to be super absorbent, or designing nonwoven medical wipes to be lint free, not leaving any residue on sensitive medical equipment. This kind of versatility makes nonwoven materials essential to the development of a range of effective medical products. 

Nonwoven materials fit medical industry standards, which add to their unquestionable acceptance in the industry. Medical nonwoven materials are in line with the standards set by the FDA and ISO with regards to safety and performance standards, industry materials, and the microbial barrier properties and biocompatibility of the items. Nonwoven manufacturers demonstrate standards awareness by maintaining the quality of their raw materials and controlling the production process. For nonwoven sterile medical products, manufacturers work in clean room conditions to eliminate contamination, and the nonwoven products are checked for barrier strength, safety, fluid resistance, microbial filtration, and the presence of noxious materials.

By following these strict norms, nonwoven gives healthcare providers peace of mind knowing the products they rely on are safe, dependable, and effective for patient care.