Textile-based biomaterials for surgical applications

Abstract Medical textiles (MedTech), as the cross-point of (bio)polymer chemistry, textile technology, and medical science, represent the most emerging technical textile area, evidencing innovations far beyond the “classical.” In that frame, a state of the art is presented for implantable MedTech products as the most demanding (by functionality and safety) among health care and hygiene materials, extracorporeal devices, and nonimplantable materials. Innovative processing and finishing technologies in combination with (bio)polymers and high standards applied for medium-to-high risk medical devices for soft and hard tissue regeneration, cardiovascular implants, or sutures are overviwed. Particular accent is given on authors’ research topics, that is, hernia repair composites, vascular grafts, and orthopedic implants with emphasis on their acceptance from biomedical aspects: cells’ adherence/growth, cytotoxicity, biocompatibility with the host, hemocompatibility, and biodegradation kinetic. Finally, recent regulations within directives are presented, covering the quality, safety, and reliability of medical devices. The adaption of textile manufacturing/finishing processes for development of smart and personalized textile implants are foreseen as future MedTech perspective.