Abstract

The incorporation of polymers into modern medicine has steadily increased in the past decade. Today modern health care would be impossible without polymeric products. Polymers play a major role in the medical device and packaging industries due to relatively low cost compared to glass and metal materials. The present entry describes the vital role of synthetic polymers in biomedical fields. Beginning from a brief note on the history of polymers in medicine, this entry discusses different types of naturally occurring and synthetic polymers such as biostable, bioerodable, and water-soluble ones, which find numerous applications in medicine. A comprehensive account of various applications of polymers such as cardiovascular, orthopedics, ophthalmological, dialysis materials, surgical sutures, tissue engineering, and controlled drug delivery is also discussed. This entry also presents the future scope of polymers in biomedical areas.