Regarding the application of silicone in the medical industry

With the progress and development of modern science and technology, silicone has been widely used in medicine. Silicone has good biocompatibility, no irritation to human tissues, no toxicity, no allergic reactions, and minimal body rejection reactions; It has good physicochemical properties and can maintain its original elasticity and softness during contact with body fluids and tissues, without degradation. It is a relatively stable inert substance.

Silicone tube

The basic component of silicone materials, silicon, is the most common and easily accessible element on Earth. Liquid silicone rubber has the advantages of being easy to make into complex shapes and chemically inert. Its practicality and excellent properties make it very suitable for application in medical equipment from the beginning.

In terms of medical use, silicone must undergo biocompatibility testing and comply with the regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration. Medical silicone can be divided into two categories in terms of application: those with a time limit and those without time constraints. Usually limited for short-term transplantation, unrestricted for long-term transplantation.

Silicone composition:

Silicone rubber is one of the synthetic rubbers, chemically known as polymethylvinylsiloxane. It is formed by the polymerization of dimethylsiloxane monomers and other organic silicon monomers under the action of acid or alkaline catalysts, with a relative molecular weight generally ranging from 400000 to 500000.

Characteristics:

1. Solid medical silicone rubber can replace bone or cartilage as a tissue filling or scaffold material, so it can be made into artificial joints and tendons to repair defects in limb joints and tendons. Plastic materials are often used as materials for repairing deformities and defects in the face, ears, nose, and other areas.

2. Foam type medical silicone rubber can replace human adipose tissue and repair human facial subcutaneous tissue defects, such as hemifacial atrophy.

3. Thin film medical silicone rubber can be used as a substitute for tendon sheath; The intestinal fistula plug is also made of this type of silicone, and its function is to seal the intestinal fistula in the intestinal cavity, prevent intestinal fluid leakage, maintain intestinal patency, restore intestinal nutrition, reduce complications, and simplify the treatment of intestinal fistula.

4. Liquid medical silicone rubber, also known as silicone oil, is a low viscosity transparent liquid that uses a coarse injection needle to inject silicone oil into the depressed and deformed areas of the craniofacial region. It is easy to use, can shape, does not require hospitalization, and can be treated in outpatient clinics. In addition, a hydrocephalus drainage device made of medical silicone rubber is used in clinical practice to treat hydrocephalus diseases. Make a spherical artificial heart valve to replace the damaged mitral valve membrane. As for the advantages of silicone contraceptive rings, such as safety, convenience, reliability, and long-term efficacy, silicone venous catheters, gastric catheters, and urinary catheters have the advantages of minimal damage and stimulation, and can be inserted in relevant parts of the human body for a long time. They have been widely used in clinical practice