Faq

Frequently Asked Questions About Biomedical Textiles

What materials are generally used to create an implantable fabric?

At Secant Medical we use extruded raw materials that are high-performance metals or polymers. These materials include:
  • Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
  • Polypropylene (PP)
  • Polyetheretherketones (PEEK)
  • High-performance polyethylenes (UHMWPE)
  • Bioabsorbable polymers
    • Polyglycolides (PGA)
    • Polylactides (PLLA)
    • Polycaprolactones (PCL)
    • Various copolymers
  • Radiopaque materials (i.e. Platinum)
  • PTFE
  • Titanium
  • Nitinol
  • Stainless Steel
  • Hybrid biomaterial combinations

How does Secant Medical first engage with new clients?

The first step when working with a new client is signing a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA). We take confidentiality very seriously here at Secant Medical and we establish that with our clients immediately. The next step is simply listening to our clients and determining what the needs and requirements are for their medical device design. Secant Medical will then utilize our experience and biomedical textile expertise to determine the best biomaterial and textile processing technology to enable our client’s product design.

The next step is prototyping, throughout this step we are collaborating with our client to create a custom-engineered, biomedical textile-based solution. Engineer to engineer collaboration is key when it comes to Secant Medical’s design process. Secant Medical works as an extension of our clients’ development team to truly understand the needs of the individual client. Once the prototype is approved, the rest of the process is determined by the need of the individual client and the device requirements.

What is the average timeframe to develop an implantable textile from start to finish?

Each of our clients has their own unique process and timeline when working with Secant Medical. It varies dependent upon complexity in the design and the combination of materials and textile forming processes integrated in the design. We work with each of our clients on a customized plan for the long term manufacturing of the textile component of their device. Our client relations team will work with individual clients to satisfy their manufacturing needs. Our goal is to collaborate closely with our clients from inception to commercialization.

Do you have "off-the-shelf" products?

No, we do not offer "off-the-shelf" products, each of our products is custom made per our clients' unique specifications. Secant Medical has discovered that “Off the shelf” products commonly force device engineers to compromise on the properties (whether it is mechanical or physical properties) to fit the existing "off-the-shelf" product. We understand the importance of identifying the most appropriate biomaterial and textile processing technology to enable the design of our client’s medical device. Collaboration between device engineers and biomedical textile engineers is absolutely essential to create an innovative and unique solution that meets the requirements of the device design.

What are typical application areas for implantable textiles?

In general, biomedical textiles are used across medical segments. The two primary application areas are orthopedics and cardiovascular. Other areas include tissue engineering, neurology, and general surgery. Arthroscopy/sports medicine and spine are additional application areas for implantable biomedical fabrics. However we are not limited to just those areas, biomedical textiles can be used in all soft tissue applications and beyond. Our design methodology is to find a solution for any challenge our clients face.

Why would you use a biomedical textile?

There are many advantages to using biomedical textile components in device design. For example they are used in minimally invasive surgical devices because of their flexibility and near-net shape as well as their controlled porosity, density, absorbability, radial/tensile strength. Biomedical textile structures can be engineered to interact within the body to promote healing. Another clear advantage is the functional flexibility and strength that can help maintain a patient’s range of motion during and after surgery recovery. The advantages of biomedical textiles are clear; they offer a minimally invasive delivery profile, flexible design options, and a multitude of physical and mechanical properties to benefit almost any medical device design.

What are your biomedical textile forming technologies?

  • Weaving: The interlacing of yarns and/or wires over and under each other, oriented at 90-degree angles, to create a stable textile structure – offering the most design flexibility of all forming techniques. Among other uses, weaving enables seamless tubes to be formed that can be tapered along the length to produce near net-shape geometries.
  • Knitting: A construction made by interlocking a series of loops of one or more yarns. Typically, knitted biomedical fabrics are used for soft tissue support and applications where conformability and controlled elongation and pore size are essential.
  • Braiding: The intertwining of three or more yarns to make a fabric, by interfacing the yarns diagonally to the production axis of the material. Unrivalled variability of process parameters yields differing physical and mechanical properties, such as porosity, flexibility and radial strength.
  • Non-wovens: Unique textile structures that are not formed from yarns but from fibers or filaments only. Non-woven structures have excellent surface area and permeability characteristics and are useful for tissue engineering and wound care.

What resources are available to better understand biomedical textile technology and the service capabilities of the Secant Medical design team?

In addition to our website some great resources are our industry articles and white papers written by our engineering experts. The most-valued resource is of course our engineers, who have the experience and expertise to educate you on the applications and benefits of biomedical textiles.
Just ask us!