FIBRES, SUTURES & SURGICAL DRESSINGS: Flexible
Fibers – any hair-like raw material directly obtained from animal, vegetable, or Relatively strong
mineral source. Natural fibers can be classified accrdng to their origin:
Natural fiber – an agglomeration of cells in which the diameter is negligible in 1. Vegetable or cellulose-base (cotton, flax, & jute)
comparison w/ length. 2. Animal or protein-base (wool, mohair, & silk)
Properties of Fiber: 3. Regenerated & synthetic fibers (nylon, terylene, orlon, viscose,
Length alginate fibers, etc.)
Strength 4. Important fiber in mineral class is Asbestos.
Pliability All Vegetable fibers are consist mainly of cellulose, though they also contain
Elasticity amounts of substances such as hemicellulose, lignin, pectins & waxes that must
Abrasion resistance be removed or reduced by processing.
Absorbency Fibers originating as hairs borne on the seeds or inner walls of the fruit: cotton,
Various surface properties kapok, coir
Most textile fibers are: Bast fibers: flax, hemp, jute, and ramie
Slender Fibers occurring as part of fibrovascular system of the leaves: abaca, henequen,
sisal
PLANT SN FAMILY SYNONYM SOURCE AMC MED USE
Cotton Gossypium Malvaceae Raw cotton; Seeds cellulose Filtering medium and
herbaceum purified in surgical dressings
cotton;
absorbent Absorbent cotton
cotton absorbs: blood,
mucus, puns, and
prevents infections in
wounds.
Jute C. capsularis Tiliaceae Gunny Stem cellulose & lignin 2nd most important
vegetable fiber after
cotton.
Make cloth for
wrapping bales of raw
cotton, in the
preparation of sacks
and coarse cloth.
Linum Linaceae Stem Pecto-cellulose Filtering medium;
Flax usitatissimum
raw material for
printed currency notes
& cigarette paper
Hemp Cannabis sativa Cannabinaceae Pericyclic fiber Cellulose and Tea bags, currency
lignin paper, food textiles
ANIMAL FIBRES: consists exclusively of proteins and except silk, constitute the fur or hair that serves as the protective epidermal covering of animals.
PLANT SN FAMILY SYNONYM SOURCE AMC MED USE
Silk Bombyx Bombycidae/Moraceae Cocoons Fibrion (w/c on Preparation of
mori spun hydrolysis yields sutures, sieves, and
glycine & alanine) ligatures.
Wool Ovis aries Bovidae fleece of Keratin Filtering aid and
the sheep straining medium,
manufacture of
clothing, carpeting,
absorb noise in
stereo speakers
REGENERATED AND SYNTHETIC FIBRES:
PLANT SN FAMILY SYNONYM SOURCE AMC MED USE
Viscose Rayon, Dissolving Manufacture fabrics,
regenerated wood pulp surgical dressings,
cellulose cellulose in absorbent wool,
NaOH sol’n enzyme and
cellophane.
ALGINATE FIBRES: composed of calcium alginate
PLANT DESCRIPTION MED USE
Nylon Synthetic thermoplastic polymer Manufacture fabrics, surgical dressings,
invented in 1935 by Wallace absorbent wool, enzyme and cellophane.
Carothers at Du Pont.
First synthetic fiber made from
inorganic ingredients like coal,
water, and air.
Made of repeating units linked by
peptide bonds.
Terylene (Dacron) Polyester fibre produced by Used in same way as nylon
condensating ethylene glycol with
terephthalic acid.
Chemical Formula:
H[OCH2CH2OOCC6H4CO] n OH
Orlon Obtained by polymerizing Suitable for furnishing and dressings.
acrylonitrile.
Represented as: [CH2 CH (CH)] n
Very good resistance to mineral
acids; excellent resistance to
common solvents, oils, greases,
neutral salts, sunlight but it is
degraded by strong alkalis.
SURGICAL DRESSINGS: a material used to protect a wound and to heal
A good quality of dressing should be:
Durable
Easy to handle
Sterilized
Formed from loose threads and fibers
Should not adhere to granulating surface
SURGICAL DRESSINGS ARE CLASSIFIED AS:
1. Primary Wound Dressings i. Applied over the wound surface to absorb pus,
mucus, and blood.
ii. Minimize maceration
2. Absorbents Widely used to absorb wound secretions
Other absorbents: rayon wool, cotton wool, gauze
pads, laparotomy sponges, sanitary napkins,
disposable cleaners, eye pads, nursing pads.
3. Bandages Material w/c holds dressings at the required site,
applies pressure, or supports an injured part or checks
hemorrhage.
May be elastic or nonelastic in nature.
Common gauze roller bandage & muslin bandage –
employed most frequently.
Elastic bandage may be woven to form: elastic
bandage, crepe bandage, and conforming bandage.
4. Adhesive tapes May be a rubber-based adhesive or acrylate adhesive.
Rubber-based adhesive tapes – cheap, superior, and
provide strength of backing.
In case of operation or post-operation acrylate,
adhesive tapes are used to reduce skin trauma.
5. Protectives Employed to cover wet dressings, poultices, & for
retention of heat.
Prevent the escape of moisture from the dressing.
Some protectives are: plastic sheeting, rubber sheeting,
waxed or oil-coated papers, and plastic- coated papers.
SUTURES & LIGATURES: NOTE: If these threads or fibers are used to tie a blood vessel to stop bleeding
Surgical suture – thread or sting used for sewing or stitching together tissues, without the use of a needle, then they are digested in animal tissues, e.g. catgut,
muscles, and tendons with the help of a needle. kangaroo tendon, & synthetic polyesters.
Nonabsorbable sutures – sutures not absorb in the body. not affected by the body wounds. Ex: silk, cotton, nylon, synthetic polyester fibers & stainless-steel wire/
fluid & remained unchanged for a long period; removed after healing of the metallic sutures.
A good quality of suture should be:
Well- sterilized
Nonirritant
having well mechanical strength
fine gauze
w/ minimum time of absorption.
ABSORBABLE SUTURES:
1. Surgical catgut Catgut – sterilized fiber or strand prepared from
collagen of connective tissues obtained from healthy
animals like sheep and cattle.
2. Synthetic polyesters Obtained by condensation of glycolic acid (glycolide)
with lactic acid (lacticide).
Have high tensile strength and are degraded by
hydrolysis & absorbed in the tissue.
NONABSORBABLE SUTURES:
1. Silk sutures Prepared by spinning or twisting silk fibers into a single
strand of varying diameters.
Smooth, strong, and braided by combining several
twisted yarns into a compact mass.
Strands are sterilized and boiled with water to soften.
2. Cotton sutures Have uniform size & recommended in critical parts
where strength of the sutures is required for long time.
3. Nylon sutures Strong, water resistant, and used in skin and plastic
surgery.
4. Linen suture Cheap, very strong under moist condition but not
uniform in diameter.
5. Metallic sutures Used as surgical aid.
Available as mono-filaments, twists, and braids.
