Medical Textiles for Implantation

Triennial the Division of Biomedical Engineering of the Institute of Textile Technology and Chemical Engineering, Denkendorf, is organizing conferences on specific topics in the field of polymeric materials for use in the biomedical areas. The aim is to bring together scientists from allover the world working on this speci- fic topic, to present the newest state of the art and to discuss their problems in a more concentrated atmosphere and at last to create and intensivate their cooperation. Following two conferences on "Polyurethanes in Biomedical Engi- neering" (1983 and 1986), the Institute of Textile Technology and Chemical Engineering set a theme, which is very closely related to its own task: "Medical Textiles for Implantation". As technical materials, textiles can be classified in two fields of application: - first, textiles used for highly flexible, strong, but only tension load bearing systems, e.g. tows; - second, textiles manufactured to flat shaped devices to separate two regions more or less semipermeable, e.g. clothing; - a combination of both are reinforced systems like tubular fabrics e.g.; here pressure load will be transformed to tensile load, the separation may be performed by a coating. In the biological systems the classification can be used in the same manner: - Tension load bearing structures are ligaments and tendons, semipermeable separation is realized by cell membranes as well as by cell layers, for example the skin. - The combination of both of the principles can be found for example in arteries and the trachea.