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Choosing Suitable Breathable Film For Medical Applications

June 04 2010- Adhesive coated breathable films are what are required for medical uses and applications. Adhesive coated films find a variety of uses and application in the medical industry ranging from wound care, wound dressing, surgical wrappings and drapes, etc. They are often used when there is a surgery. All of these medical activities are specific in terms of their requirements and properties since dealing with medical issues needs a lot of attention and care. A number of parameters are considered for choosing a suitable breathable film for medical applications. Breathable films make suitable films for medical applications. To be precise, adhesive coated breathable films are what are the most preferred. Breathable films fulfill all the considerations that are required of a suitable adhesive coated medical application film. Lets understand how.

Choosing Suitable Breathable Film For Medical Applications

The breathable film in use should guard against any kind of contamination in the wound. By any contamination, we here refer to bacteria and any other kind or liquid or solid contamination. It has to essentially be skin friendly as it comes in close contact to the skin, that too when it is extremely sensitive. Physical properties required of these adhesive coated breathable films for medical applications are as follows:

• Transparency: It can be any color, but the breathable films required for wounds need to be relatively clear as a close look at the wounds is often required.
• Thickness: There is a specified range of thickness, 0.01 mm to 0.075 mm that needs to be met. In general, thicker the films, stronger it is.
• Other Properties: Other properties like tensile, strength, softness, drapability and tear resistance are some of the other important factors that need to be considered while choosing a suitable breathable film for medical applications. Usually, it becomes challenging when two opposite or competing characteristics are required in the same film. For example, softness & drapability.
• Moisture Vapor Transmission: The most important of all the above requirements of suitable films for medical applications is the moisture vapor transmission. This is perhaps an important condition that makes adhesive coated breathable films, a more appropriate choice as compared to other kinds of films. Usually thinner breathable films allow more moisture vapor transmission. This quality is important as it protects the covered wound from a lot of infections that can be caused by the locked moisture in the wound.

The above discussion makes it clear that with high moisture vapor transmission properties adhesive coated breathable films make suitable films for medical applications. Guidelines have been set to help the manufacturers produce high quality breathable films for all sorts of medical applications, optimizing moisture vapor transmission, softness, strength and drapability of these films.