Velour fabrics applied to medicine

Abstract

Abstract Warp‐knitted velour fabrics of Dacron, nylon, polypropylene, and Rayon have been backed with Silastic to form a laminate. Prior to heat curing, the composite can be molded into many shapes and has been successfully used to line the luminal side of blood pumps and vascular grafts. Prosthetic heart valves are being covered with velour in an attempt to promote a more compatible surface. Velour suture rings are being evaluated as a more efficient anchor for prosthetic heart valves. Silastic tubes with velour bonded to the outer wall have been used to inhibit infection and sinus tract formation where percutaneous lead wires and conduits are necessary. As a flat sheet, the Silastic‐velour laminate has been used experimentally as an artificial skin, but the most noteworthy experimental results have been obtained in rats using a double layer of nylon velour, separated by an impermeable layer of poly(vinyl fluoride). Future application will include attempts to anchor artificial limbs via a velour interface and made functional by tendinous attachment.