Chapter 8, Problem 9P

The array of medical devices spans a wide range of possible properties and characteristics, including disposable or reusable, rigid or flexible, clear or opaque, good lubricity or good grip, able to dispel static electricity, able to be sanitized or sterilized, biocompatible, antimicrobial, or even bioabsorbable. Plastics, both traditional and new, are being used in a number of medical applications.

1. Use the Internet or other information source to identify some of the ways in which plastics are being used in medical applications. Consider prosthetics, implants, patient and surgical apparatus and equipment, and others.
2. Using the same sources, try to identify a medical application of plastics that is still in the development stage, and discuss its claimed advantages.