Abstract
This article presents current possibilities of using polyester-based materials in hard and soft tissue engineering, wound dressings, surgical implants, vascular reconstructive surgery, ophthalmology, and other medical applications. The review summarizes the recent literature on the key features of processing methods and potential suitable combinations of polyester-based materials with improved physicochemical and biological properties that meet the specific requirements for selected medical fields. The polyester materials used in multiresistant infection prevention, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as aspects covering environmental concerns, current risks and limitations, and potential future directions are also addressed. Depending on the different features of polyester types, as well as their specific medical applications, it can be generally estimated that 25–50% polyesters are used in the medical field, while an increase of at least 20% has been achieved since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The remaining percentage is provided by other types of natural or synthetic polymers; i.e., 25% polyolefins in personal protection equipment (PPE).
Highlights
In addition to other types of polymeric materials, polyesters have found diverse uses in biomedical applications, such as controlled drug release systems [1–5], time-tailored implants, screws, prostheses, and different 3D structures including scaffolds for bone reconstruction and tissue engineering [6]
The graft copolymerization technique has become a good strategy for chemical modification of lactic acid with cyanoacrylate directly in contact with tissue [165]; the study showed that the addition of graphene oxide (GO) up to 1% to a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) solution for electrospinning enhanced its hydrophilicity, which positively influenced the drug-release kinetics [162]
The results showed unique thermoreversible sol-gel transitions and superior injectability for poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/polyester thermogels when compared with OnyxTM, the only liquid embolic agent approved by the FDA so far
Summary
In addition to other types of polymeric materials, polyesters have found diverse uses in biomedical applications, such as controlled drug release systems [1–5], time-tailored implants, screws, prostheses, and different 3D structures including scaffolds for bone reconstruction and tissue engineering [6]. Various medical products containing polyesters are commercially available, while new ones are awaiting patents for placement on the market Polyesters such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly-L-lactide (PLLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(lactic-glycolic acid) (PLGA) copolymers, or poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHA) are synthetic biodegradable polymers highly used in medical applications due to their wide range of custom properties, availability, tailoring capacity, cost-effectiveness, and easy processing. It is of great interest to design thermoplastic polyesters, such as PLA, PCL, PHA and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), for use as matrices in a wide range of bone applications
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