The medical nonwovens market has grown significantly in the past few years, partly as a result of this, but also due to the need for unforeseen pandemic-related products – to the extent that it is now estimated to be worth an annual $12 billion.
The stringent standards being imposed by various regulatory agencies around the world have also had a positive impact on the use of nonwovens, and although the medical market is increasingly moving towards non-invasive surgeries, the overall impact of these techniques on the nonwoven disposables market remains very small.
Regionally, the least growth is likely to occur in the highly-penetrated North American market, where disposable surgical drapes are employed in 90-95% of all major surgical procedures and single-use surgical gowns in 80% of them.
In Europe the penetration of disposable surgical drapes is around 70%, while in Asia overall it is just 15%, in South America 10%, in Russia 5% and in Africa 4%.
Not surprisingly, higher growth is anticipated for medical nonwovens in Europe, particularly as a result of national standards being harmonized into the European Standards (EN) for medical devices and protective equipment.
And over the coming years even higher growth is anticipated in the Asia Pacific region, where rising standards of living, particularly in China, are leading to higher healthcare expenditures.
Many of the leading manufacturers of medical nonwovens – all of whom will be present at INDEX 11 – have consequently focussed on expansion in Asia for the past few years.
According to leading nonwovens manufacturer Ahlstrom, key factors currently favouring the increased employment of single-use products in medical environments include:
- Antibiotic abuse has created resistance to treatment in hospitals.
- Throughout the world new viruses and multi resistant bacteria are becoming a factor in hospital-acquired infections (HCAIs).
- Governments are reducing healthcare budgets .
- Private insurance costs are increasing.
- A need to reduce/eliminate hospital infections and mortality rates.
- An increasingly older population.
Swine Flu
The threat of Swine Flu as a global pandemic certainly contributed to a recession-bucking trend for suppliers of medical disposables in 2009, with a higher demand for masks, barrier fabrics and disinfecting wipes.
A more general trend however, has been the need to provide medical workers with cost-effective protective garments which provide a barrier to fluids such as water, blood and alcohol.
This has become critical as a result of the rapid increase in recent years in blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis C.
In the latest methods for providing enhanced barrier properties, special coatings and/or films are added to the nonwoven fabrics or ingredients are added directly into polymers being used to make the fibres.
Meltblown, low denier fabrics are layered in the middle of spunbonds, and bicomponent fibres are also being employed in the production of spunbonds and other nonwovens. With bicomponent technology it is also possible to house extremely expensive additives in the polymer sheath of a sheath/core fibre, to provide enhanced surface properties without the high cost that would be incurred if the additive was included throughout the fibre.
The high surface area of nanofibres, along with the broad range of polymers that can be spun into them, now offers the opportunity to further enhance the efficiency of products such as surgical gowns - but this is just one area where nanofibre layers or coatings with nonwovens have huge potential.
Advanced wound dressings, for example, operate in moist environments, require less frequent changing and help to reduce pain both in the wound itself and during dressing changes. They also reduce scarring and require fewer active materials for the same efficacy. Nanofibres can enhance these properties in acute, chronic and surgical wounds, through the combination of various materials in layers and the incorporation of active materials.
In another wound dressing product under development, Cranfield University in the UK is looking at embedding wireless sensors within them. These sensors would allow clinicians to find out how a wound is healing without having to remove the dressing. The dressings will be tailored particularly towards treating diabetic ulcers, burns, legions and pressure sores, and will use odour, moisture and temperature sensors to detect signs of infection and whether healing is taking place.
Readings can be taken from a hospital bed or from the patient’s home, reducing the need for hospital visits.
"Many dressings are replaced for no reason other than to inspect the wound," said Professor Seamus Higson of Cranfield Health. "What is often needed is an early warning, should intervention be needed. Our smart dressing will register the state of the injury without having to remove the dressing, meaning less contact with infection and less disruption to the healing process.
"Some 80% of the chronic wounds that don’t heal are related to diabetic conditions, with 5% of the NHS budget being spent on wound healing. This project is very exciting, since it has the potential to reduce the enormous amount of discomfort that wounds can bring, improve the healing process and, in some cases, the quality of life for patients. We hope this technology will be at the clinical trials stage within two years."
The medical market is constantly evolving, and nonwovens continue to play a part in more effective hospital procedures and patient care. At INDEX11 in Geneva, many new developments for this sector will be showcased.
