Reinforced fiber web and wound dressing material including the same
A reinforced fiber web has first and second opposed major sides and comprises first and second fiber webs having a reinforcing mesh disposed therebetween. The first and second fiber webs are physically entangled with each other and the reinforcing mesh. A wound dressing material comprises the reinforced fiber web, a first wound-contact scrim, and a first antimicrobial layer sandwiched therebetween. The first wound-contact scrim comprises water-sensitive fibers comprising a copolymer comprising divalent hydroxyethylene monomer units and divalent dihydroxybutylene monomer units.
1 . A wound dressing material comprising:
a reinforced fiber web having first and second opposed major sides, wherein the reinforced fiber web comprises first and second fiber webs having a reinforcing mesh disposed between the first and second fiber webs, and wherein the first fiber web, the second fiber web, and the reinforcing mesh are bonded to one another by a combination of physical entanglement and thermal bonding;
a first wound-contact scrim comprising first water-sensitive fibers, wherein the first water-sensitive fibers comprise a first copolymer comprising divalent hydroxyethylene monomer units and divalent dihydroxybutylene monomer units; and
a first antimicrobial layer disposed between the first major side of the reinforced fiber web and the first wound-contact scrim.
2 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second fiber webs comprises second water-sensitive fibers comprising hydrophilic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane.
3 . The wound dressing material of claim 2 , wherein the second water-sensitive fibers comprise multilayer fibers comprising top and bottom layers comprising polyethylene, and wherein a central layer comprising hydrophilic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane is disposed between the top and bottom layers.
4 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second wound-contact scrim comprising second water-sensitive fibers, wherein the second water-sensitive fibers comprise a second copolymer comprising divalent hydroxyethylene monomer units and divalent dihydroxybutylene monomer units; and
a second antimicrobial layer disposed between the second major side of the reinforced fiber web and the second wound-contact scrim.
5 . The wound dressing material of claim 4 , wherein the second water-sensitive fibers comprise multilayer fibers comprising top and bottom layers comprising polyethylene, and wherein a central layer comprising hydrophilic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane is disposed between the top and bottom layers.
6 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing mesh comprises a knit fabric having regularly spaced openings extending therethrough.
7 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the first water-sensitive fibers have an average fiber diameter of 2 to 100 microns.
8 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the first copolymer further comprises divalent acetoxyethylene monomer units.
9 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the divalent dihydroxybutylene monomer units comprise divalent 3,4-dihydroxybutan-1,2-diyl monomer units.
10 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the first wound-contact scrim is melt-blown or spunbonded.
11 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first fiber web or the second fiber web comprises meltblown fibers and at least one of the first fiber web or the second fiber web comprises staple fibers.
12 . The wound dressing material of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fiber webs are bonded together and to the reinforcing mesh by stitchbonding as the physical entanglement in combination with thermal bonding.
13 . A reinforced fiber web having first and second opposed major sides, wherein the reinforced fiber web comprises first and second fiber webs having a reinforcing mesh disposed therebetween, wherein the first fiber web, second fiber web, and the reinforcing mesh are bonded to one another by a combination of physical entanglement and thermal bonding, and wherein at least one of the first and second fiber webs comprises water-sensitive fibers comprising hydrophilic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane.
14 . The reinforced fiber web of claim 13 , wherein the water-sensitive fibers comprise multilayer fibers comprising top and bottom layers comprising polyethylene, and wherein a central layer comprising hydrophilic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane is disposed between the top and bottom layers.
15 . The reinforced fiber web of claim 13 , wherein the reinforcing mesh comprises a knit fabric having regularly spaced openings.
16 . The reinforced fiber web of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first fiber web or the second fiber web comprises meltblown fibers and staple fibers.
17 . A method of forming a reinforced fiber web, the method comprising:
providing a first fiber web;
providing a second fiber web;
disposing a reinforcing mesh between the first and second fiber webs; and
bonding the first fiber web, the second fiber web, and the reinforcing mesh together by a combination of physical entanglement and thermal bonding to form a unitary reinforced fiber web structure having first and second opposed major sides.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the reinforced fiber web further comprises a wound-contact scrim comprising water-sensitive fibers and secondary fibers comprising at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of:
polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, rayon, cotton, cellulose acetate, thermoplastic polyurethane, chitosan, polyacrylic acid, sulfonated cellulose, alginate, cellulose ethyl sulfonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, poly(ether ether ketone), poly-4-methylpentene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, a polyamide, a polyester, polystyrene, a styrenic block copolymer, a polyurethane comprising polyethers, a block copolymer of polyether, and polypropylene oxide.
19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
disposing a first antimicrobial layer on the first major side of the reinforced fiber web, wherein the first antimicrobial layer comprises at least 10 percent by weight of a polycarboxylic acid chelator compound and at least 10 percent by weight of a plasticizer.
20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first and second fiber webs are bonded to the reinforcing mesh by stitchbonding as the physical entanglement in combination with thermal bonding.