Medical fabrics and healthcare fabrics have been in unprecedented demand in recent months due to the Covid-19 pandemic in order to stop the spread of the highly infectious virus. But how exactly do these healthcare fabrics differ from regular fabrics?
What is a Medical Fabric?
Medical fabrics, also known as healthcare fabrics and materials, differ from other types of fabrics because they are specially designed with medical use in mind. They are a form of “designer” fabric created for health advantages. As a result, they have a variety of unique characteristics ideal for use in healthcare situations.
Medical fabrics employ sophisticated, sensitive fabric manufacturing combinations for optimum protection, comfort, and adaptability. High-quality medical fabrics are typically made latex-free, allergen-free, antibacterial, breathable, flexible, and durable for optimum dependability.
Due to the unique antimicrobial characteristics of medical fabric manufacturing, they provide a high level of cleanliness and contamination resistance. This extra cleanliness and health benefits enable medical grade textiles to be used in a wide range of interior and outdoor patient applications.
According to research, using specially designed and scientifically proven medical fabrics can successfully treat patients while reducing the risk of transmitting harmful infections to themselves and others, which is critical to the stop of Covid-19.
Medical fabric manufacturing is also used to design personal protective equipment (PPE) for both the public and healthcare workers to protect against infections and help fight against the pandemic COVID 19 virus.
There are several different types of PPE, including face masks, gloves, gowns, shoe covers, and arm shields made using medical fabric manufacturing methods. Medical fabrics are also utilised in the production of hospital drapes and sleeping textiles, as well as wound dressings, bandages, and other items.
How Do Medical Fabrics Fight Covid-19?
By providing a barrier between the human body and the pathogens, PPE might avoid or decrease such contact and droplet exposures for the individual.
Medical fabric products are critical for preventing coronavirus transmission in several settings, including patient care, cleaning, proper waste, burial management, and other epidemic-related care.
COVID-19 is primarily spread by respiratory droplets from one person to another. Respiratory droplets enter the air when you cough, sneeze, talk, shout or sing. People in this immediate vicinity may inhale these droplets, or the droplets may land in their mouths or noses.
Many investigations have discovered that persons with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) or who have not yet developed symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can transmit the virus to others. If you’re infected but don’t display symptoms, wearing a type of medical fabric is likely to safeguard others around you.
Which Medical Fabric PPE Should We Use?
There is a lot of equipment made from medical fabrics and is used to prevent COVID 19. So, let’s take a deeper look into how medical fabric PPE helps stop the spread of covid-19.
Gloves, gowns or aprons, masks or respirators, goggles, and face shields are the most prevalent forms of PPE in a hospital setting. Three critical factors affect the selection of medical fabric PPE: the types and amounts of body fluids the wearer might be exposed to, the durability of PPE for a task, and the fit of the PPE for individual users.
Medical fabric gloves are the most widely used PPE to protect hands, and they are made of natural and synthetic rubbers for sterile and non-sterile applications.
Medical fabric gowns are also commonly used as PPE to protect skin and other clothes, and they should fully cover the torso, fit comfortably over the body, and have long sleeves that fit snugly at the wrist.
Most importantly, a medical fabric face mask is the essential PPE to wear is face masks, as they reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth, according to research.
COVID-19 is transmitted primarily among persons who are in close proximity to one another. As a result, wearing a medical fabric face mask is especially important when you’re indoors with someone you don’t live with and can’t keep a safe distance of at least 6 feet.
The most effective sort of facial covering is a medical mask, which protects the community by establishing a barrier that reduces the number of particles emitted. A medical mask is a disposable, rectangular-shaped, loose-fitting mask. Elastic bands or ties can be wrapped behind your ears or tied behind your head to hold the surgical mask in place. A metal strip on the top of the medical mask may be squeezed to fit the mask over your nose.
What Does Medical Fabric Manufacturing Involve?
Medical fabric manufacturing uses microfibers to produce PPE, as the micro barrier of this material offers a higher degree of protection as the fibres do not inhibit particle transfer.
As a result, less absorbent synthetic fibres (such as polypropylene and polyester) have much more superior liquid barrier characteristics than natural fibres (such as cotton, wool, silk, and so on) and are widely used for PPE.
Nonwoven textiles are the most preferred for healthcare fabrics since they allow for relatively quick and low-cost production, as well as good sterility and infection control. As a result, disposable medical fabrics such as surgical caps, gowns, and masks are frequently made using synthetic fibres and nonwoven textiles.
Even little differences in healthcare fabrics can have a significant influence on human health. As a result, the use of high-quality healthcare fabrics from a leading fabric manufacturing company is essential for successful treatments.
Reputable fabric manufacturing companies offer healthcare fabrics with a diverse variety of unique characteristics, a wide range of colours, sizes, and densities, and without common irritants. They can also modify fabric to meet your individual wants and specifications and create something entirely unique for you.
