Plastics and Medical Devices

Due to increased developments in plastics technology, the growth of ever-new ground breaking medical parts has led to the medical division becoming one of the most rapid growing segments for plastics, with further growth guaranteed to continue. Contemporary healthcare would be unthinkable without plastic medical products; that we are inclined to take as a given. Heart valves, intravenous blood bags, disposable syringes and the like are all created with the help of plastics.

Medical applications placed in plastic packaging are greatly advantageous. They are compatible with various materials, and they are durable, transparent, inexpensive, and lightweight. People have better quality of life thanks to the continual adaptability of modern plastics in medical parts. Medical breakthroughs that were considered unlikely decades ago are now viewed as routine.

Plastics Make Patients Safer

The use of plastics has transformed the world of medicine, making patients more secure and procedures easier. For instance, doctors were vulnerable to complications when the MRI machine was first presented. An MRI is essentially a huge magnet with the capability of attracting any metal entity within reach. Metal objects placed too near the MRI machine can become airborne and harmful if they should fly in the direction of the magnetized unit. Nowadays, all equipment that encircles an MRI is made from plastic to prevent this magnetic problem.

The introduction of plastic into existing medicine has gradually increased. Plastics have added to the decrease of medical expenditures, pain management, and infectious diseases. State-of-the-art polymers are utilized to develop new and better man-made limbs and plastic throwaway delivery devices have thrived in decreasing the possibility of infection to patients. Patients directly gain from the use of plastic with additional lives being saved, prolonged, and improved due to the use of plastics.

The Varied Uses of Plastic in Medical Parts

  • Unblocking Blood Vessels: Thin tubes or catheters are utilized to unblock blood vessels. Placed in the distressed artery, it is produced from plastic created particularly for the medical field and stimulated with active elements.
  • Prosthesis: Plastics are presently being utilized as orthopedic tools, where they straighten, correct, or support deformities.
  • Artificial Corneas: Artificial corneas manufactured from an exclusive silicone are now possible for treatment. Just 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters thick, flexible, highly transparent, and manufactured from biomechanics comparable to a natural cornea, it can reinstate clear vision again.
  • Hearing Aids: Individuals with critically impaired hearing can now have a plastic implant that carries sound back to their ears. The implant is made of differing components, a transmission mechanism linked to a microcomputer worn on the body, a microphone, a stimulator, and an electrode transporter with sixteen electrodes for sixteen differing frequency ranges.
  • Plastic Pill Capsules: These plastic capsules release precisely the exact dosage of its dynamic ingredients at the perfect time. The tartaric acid sustained polymer slowly breaks down, and gradually releases the active ingredients during a longer period of time. These custom made pharmaceuticals help patients to evade frequently taking large quantities of pills.

Medical Plastic Device Forum 2013

Just recently, the 4th Annual Plastic News interactive forum was held in Boston, Massachusetts. This event attracted leading pharmaceutical companies, device designers, and molders, who present their requirements for plastics in the medical field. Members from the complete medical equipment supply chain gather for sharing and networking.

The importance of using plastic in medical devices will only continue to grow. Plastics have had a large role in groundbreaking medical technology and will only prove to be safer, reliable, and the most cost-effective way to manufacture these parts in coming years. Microdyne Plastics is a certified (FDA) Medical Device Manufacturer, licensed through the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch.

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