Medical

Protective, absorbent or hygienic foams are used to suit all sectors of the medical industry

Medical Montage

In the medical world foams are used for many applications such as:

•Heat and Moisture Exchange (HME)
•Wound dressings
•Surgical aids
•Medical supports and devices
•Clean room swabs and wipes
•Hydrophilic foams, sponges and surgical pads

There are several factors that have to be taken into consideration when picking a suitable foam such as skin irritation, sterilisation and bio-compatibility.

The following foams are successfully used for medical applications:

  • PVA - their highly absorbent capacity makes them ideally suited for keeping wounds clean.
  • Hydrophilic Polyurethane Foams - These foams are produced as a white foam and used in applications where the foam's ability to absorb fluids is required such as wound care and medical wipes. They can be created with active ingredients within them, such as soaps and detergents for a controlled release mechanism.
  • Visco Elastic Foams - these foams are used for absorbing energy or to mould to body shapes through the presence of body heat e.g. head restraints, podiatric applications, wheelchairs etc.
  • Reticulated Foams - due to their totally open cell structure that can be closely controlled, these foams come in a variety of pore sizes and are ideal for blood filters. The finer pore sizes that are non-linting are used as swabs and wipes.
  • Polyethylene Foams - due to them being closed cell with a wipe clean surface they are commonly used in applications where they are likely to come into contact with food or medical implants. Other advantages are they can have an outer layer added on for improved cleanability. Anti - microbial additives can also be added and medical adhesives can be applied to create a single or double sided tape and pads.

If you work in the medical industry and are interested in finding out more information about how our foams may be able to benefit you please do not hesitate to contact Sydney Heath & Son to go through your requirements with our expert team. At Sydney Heath & Son we will make sure we use the best material to meet your specification so that the end product is of the highest standard.