Exam 3

Question 1

Describe what is meant by the term “Wound Care Market”

Answer 1

Products for wound closure to let the wound heal on its own, or products developed to promote faster wound healing

Question 2

List the goals of an ideal wound care product.

Answer 2

1. ENHANCE THE HEALING PROCESS
   - Maintain moist wound environment
   - permit gas exchange
   - mechanically support tissue until strength is increased
   - accelerate or actively promote healing
   -minimize scarring
2. REDUCE RISKS THAT INHIBIT WOUND HEALING
   -Protect against additional trauma/temp changes
   -absorb exudate
   -non-adherent to healing tissue to allow removal
3. LOWER THE INCIDENCE OF INFECTION
   - provide barrier to bacteria

Question 3

Describe three different methods to close a wound

Answer 3

1. Staples - For closure of long incisions/surgical lacerations
2. Sutures - Thread-like biomaterial used to close a wound by sewing tissues together or used to ligate blood vessels.
3. Adhesives - Indicated for the closure of superficial incision or traumatic laceration

Question 4

How would you differentiate the FBR around a non-absorbable suture and a typical wound healing process that does not involve a foreign body introduced in the wound?

Answer 4

FBR to non-absorbable suture is the same as to an implantable biomaterial or device. FBR localizes around material, activating complement system and being sustained

Question 5

What is the major difference in using a traditional gauze dressing as opposed to an active wound care product?

Answer 5

Traditional gauze bandages are used for draining wounds and those that require debridement. Active wound care products are non-absorptive and must be changed when exudate is present???

Traditional bandages don’t promote active healing, but active wound care products have materials in them to promote more efficient healing

Question 6

As part of your new career you are asked to invest millions of your firm’s savings in a wound care product market. What product or products would you invest in and why?

Answer 6

Active wound care products, such as polymeric foam dressings. Since they have many advantages and are versatile they are good for a number of situations. The only disadvantage is if its not changed often enough it could cause adverse effects. Since traditional bandages and such already require changing, this product wouldn’t change protocol very much but increase wound healing efficiency.

Question 7

List 4 major application areas of biomaterials in cardiology

Answer 7

1. Vascular Access Devices
2. Vasculature Repair Device
3. Cardiac or Cardiac Related Device
4. ????

Question 8

In your opinion, what is the most important material used in cardiology applications and why?

Question 9

What is a stent and how are they used?

Answer 9

Stenting: a tubular metallic mesh used to provide structural support to vessel walls and flatten plaques after angioplasty.

Question 10

What is the major problem impacting the efficacy of stenting?
Describe two ways companies/researchers are trying to address the problem.

Answer 10

RESTENOSIS, use drug eluting stents to suppress immune system. Bioresorbable stent to lower restenosis rate.

Question 11

What is a vascular graft and how are they used?

Answer 11

A substitute vessel which is used when a natural blood vessel fails. Replace a failing natural blood vessel with
Autologous vessels (from host body)
Treated or Synthetic vessels
to continue proper function of vessel.

Question 12

Why is there a need for artificial vascular grafts?

Question 13

What are the three major types of vascular grafts?

Question 14

What are the ideal properties of a vascular prosthesis?

Question 15

What are the common complications with any type of vascular graft?

Question 16

What are the most common complications of artificial heart valves?

Question 17

What are the major disadvantages of mechanical and tissue valves?