Stop and look around during a doctor or hospital visit? Dozens of medical instruments and sanitary tools made of plastic become possible. From examination gloves to sterile syringes to IV tubes, plastics are everywhere in the medical field because they help protect us, prevent pollution and save lives.

Recent advances may lead to more healthcare innovations and help people all over the world. Here are some examples:

Medical engineering plastic rescue technology rescue

Plastic heart: A fully artificial heart made of plastic can prolong the lives of patients with heart failure while waiting for transplantation. The plastic heart replaces the ventricle and four heart valves, and adds years to the lives of loved ones.

Plastic foam: New uses of foamed polyurethane plastic may help stabilize trauma patients with severe internal injuries. The US military funded the development of ResQFoam, a spontaneously expanding foam that is injected into the abdomen to help stop internal bleeding. The foam expands inside the body cavity, exerts pressure on the wound and adapts it to the damaged tissue, greatly slowing down blood loss, thereby improving the chance of survival.

Prevent pain

Medical engineering plastic painless plastic injection: Needle injection may be painful, but an easier way to deliver drugs is underway. One type currently being developed is a tiny patch made of many plastic "microneedles" that dissolve after being inserted into the skin and release the drug at the same time. The other is MucoJet, a small plastic bulb and cylinder that is held against the inside of the cheek and squeezed to release the drug through the mucosal layer of the mouth and into the body.

Bacterial-resistant plastics: Millions of people unfortunately develop infections acquired in hospitals. These infections usually occur when a thin layer of bacteria settles on the exposed surfaces of medical devices. Researchers are studying non-stick polymer coatings to inhibit the formation of bacteria. Plastic can be used to make catheters or medical equipment to prevent preventable diseases.

Medical engineering plastic organs?

3D printer body parts: we can 3-D print toys, tools, cars, etc. Although 3-D printed human body parts are still incomplete, they are closer than you think. Researchers are working hard to print various body parts, such as kidneys, skin, bones, cartilage, tissues, blood vessels, etc., and are made of various cell types, while using plastic to help maintain the structure of the parts. Today, 3-D printed plastic body part models are used for research and practice of complex and difficult surgery.

Self-healing plastics: Researchers are developing new materials of self-healing plastics and using them to develop artificial skin and muscles. Plastic skin mimics the flexibility and sensitivity of human skin, and can make new prostheses, while plastic muscles can be used to help move prostheses, replace missing limbs, and even be used in advanced robots. And both can have their own abilities, just like human tissue.

If you think about it, all the plastic medical tools you think in the doctor's office are revolutionary. Plastics will continue to help drive the healthcare innovations we can only dream of today.