Smart and Electronic Medical Textiles

Smart medical textiles integrate sensors, actuators, and data transmission capabilities into textile substrates for continuous physiological monitoring, drug delivery, and therapeutic stimulation. ECG monitoring shirts (silver-coated polyamide electrodes, conductivity 10–100 S/m, knitted contact area 4–8 cm²) continuously record 12-lead ECG with signal quality comparable to clinical Ag/AgCl gel electrodes (correlation coefficient r > 0.95, IEEE standard). Textile strain sensors (CNT-coated elastic yarn, gauge factor 5–30) measure respiratory rate by chest circumference change (±1–5% strain, 10–40 breaths/min range) and joint angle by limb circumference variation with ±2° angular accuracy. Drug-eluting compression hosiery (cyclodextrin-encapsulated NSAIDs at 5–15 µg/cm²) deliver anti-inflammatory drugs transdermally during compression therapy sessions, achieving therapeutic plasma levels (50–150 ng/mL) after 4–6 hours wear. Phototherapy textiles use optical fibres (PMMA, diameter 0.25–1.0 mm) woven into fabric to deliver narrowband UVB (311 nm) for psoriasis treatment or photodynamic therapy with photosensitiser activation. Temperature-regulating therapeutic textiles with embedded Peltier elements or PCM microcapsules provide targeted thermal therapy (38–42°C) for muscle rehabilitation and arthritis pain management. Washability up to 30 cycles at 40°C (ISO 6330) is the primary durability challenge for conductive textile systems.