Write a short note on polymers used in medicine and surgery?
The biomaterials are the materials that can be implanted in the body of living to provide special prosthetic functions or used as diagnostic, surgical and therapeutic applications.
Essential properties of biomaterials:
- A polymer biomaterial when comes in contact with blood and tissues should not cause any harm or destroy components of blood or tissues.
- It should not be toxic, allergic.
- It should be easy to fabricate, sterilize without alteration in properties, in short, and biocompatible.
APPLICATIONS: To construct an artificial replacement for human organs.
- To repair, sustain and augment functions of organ
- To provide biochemical functions.
|
Examples |
Properties | Uses |
|
SILICONE POLYMER |
Outstanding chemical inertness to body fluids, non-toxic, flexible. |
Heart valves, blood filters, artificial heart, vascular tubing. |
|
Polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) |
It is transparent and easy to mold. |
Contact lenses, dental restorative. |
|
Polyvinyl Chloride |
It is strong, inert. |
Syringes |
|
Polylactic acid polymer |
It biodegradable and decomposable |
Surgical sutures, Dialysis media, drug delivery, stents organs regeneration, controlled release, plastic surgery. |
| Polyglycolic acid polymer | Easy hydrolyzable by body fluid |
Surgical applications, absorbable sutures implantable medical devices as anastomosis rings, plates, rods, pins, screws |
| Polymer rubber | It is flexible |
Reconstructive surgery. |
The possible applications of biodegradable polymers in medicine and surgery are
-
Vascular and Intestinal anastomosis
-
Skin protection
-
Blood vessel Reconstruction
-
Organ protection
-
Nerve reunion
-
Sustained drug release
Tag:biodegradable polymers, grafts, pmma, polymers, pvc
