Application of 3D-Woven Fabrics for Packaging Materials for Terminally Sterilized Medical Devices

Abstract

This research aimed to test a newly developed 3D fabric for use in a hospital sterilization unit as a packaging material. Two basic properties were tested: the efficiency of the microbial barrier, and the bursting strength of the woven fabric, determined with a steel ball. Material deformations caused by bursting are common in medical sterilization, as a consequence of the packaging of the medical tools needed in surgery. Six 3D-fabric samples were woven from the same warp, with three weft densities and in two different weaves. The weaving conditions and other construction characteristics of the fabrics were the same. To determine the effectiveness of the microbial barrier, bacterial endospores of an apathogenic species of the genus Bacillus, Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus, were used. Mechanical testing of the 3D-woven fabric, i.e., the bursting strength of the fabric using a steel ball, was carried out according to the standard method. The results showed the exceptional puncture strength of the woven fabrics and their formation of an effective microbial barrier, i.e., complete impermeability to microorganisms in five samples, which is the main condition for possible use as a packaging material in medical sterilization. Sample 3tp did not provide an effective microbial barrier and did not meet the basic requirements for use in medical sterilization.