The following article was written and provided by BullasPlastics, a UK plastics manufacturer:
Healthcare innovation continue to happen every single day. They touch our lives regardless of whether you are an infant or a senior citizen. Plastics are making major contributions to healthcare innovations in modern medicine. Plastic could single-handedly be the foremost preventer of infections in the world. Some healthcare innovations would have been thought of as futuristic few years ago are now part and parcel of modern medicine. Use of plastic bottles instead of glass ones has saved many a surgeon from the incredible trauma of mid-surgery mishaps. Plastic has made so many innovations possible. Lives are being saved where they would have otherwise been lost due to use of plastics in medicine out in the field. Most regular civilians take these developments lightly not knowing that they may someday save their lives. The following are healthcare innovations that have been made possible through the use of plastics:
Plastic Meniscus
The cartilage in your knee that separates and connects the thigh and shin bones is what is referred to as a meniscus. If this cartilage gets damaged, it could lead to a lot of ain due to the bones rubbing against each other. Before, the only choice was to undergo knee replacement surgery. However, those days are gone. As of 2015, knee replacement surgery is no longer a necessity. One can have plastic meniscus injected into their knees. About 720,000 people have knee replacement surgeries every year. That number is expected to skyrocket to five million by 2030. The use of plastic meniscus will surely continue into the future as the demand for such treatments increases.
Plastic to Prevent Bleeding
Massive blood loss caused by trauma has been a big problem for years. Plastic is being used as an agent for accelerated blood clotting and bleeding reduction. The plastic substance will be carried by a first responder in a preloaded syringe. The innovation is helpful since other methods of improving the clotting of blood require refrigeration or freezing of blood products. On the contrary, plastic which can exist and function quite well in room temperature or even elevated heat levels. This innovative use of plastic has many applications including on the battlefield. Human trials are as few s five years away.
Disappearing Plastic Stent
Use of disappearing plastic stent is not necessarily a new invention. Methods that can better improve healing and improve immune responses have been in development for years. However, plastic is being used in this case. Plastic is utilized in resorbale implants which are medical devices that are made out of plastic material and are used to perform a particular function within the body and then resorbed by the body. The plastic is being developed so that its properties mimic the properties of the human body as closely as possible. The plastic is also designed to be phased out of the body in small stages so that there are no adverse effects on the body.
3-D Printed Plastic Vertebrae
Losing even a single vertebrae through illness or injury can have devastating consequences. That may soon not be a problem. Lost vertebrae will soon be replaceable via biocompatible plastics and 3-D printing. Plastic vertebrae will soon be replacing removed vertebrae or damaged vertebrae for the long term. The plastic is designed to imitate the properties of bone tissue as best as it can which allows the body to adapt to the plastic implant. Plastic is surely helping modern medicine accomplish wonders.
