Pittsburgh — A new surgical adhesive approved in Europe reduces the need for post-surgery drainage tubes, lowering the risk of infection and reducing time required to close wounds, Forbes.com reports.
TissuGlu Surgical Adhesive, developed by Pittsburgh-based Cohera Medical, is a lysine-derived urethane polymer adhesive that, according to Forbes, has an adhesive bond demonstrated by research to be five times stronger than any commercially available products used in soft-tissue surgical procedures. The adhesive can be absorbed into the body after breaking down.
Cohera has created an animated video of how TissuGlu works.
The adhesive has received the European CE Mark, clearing it for use in European Union nations. Cohera officials say they will begin U.S. trials in the next few months as the first step toward gaining Food and Drug Administration approval. The company hopes to market the product here by late 2014.
The company claims that prior to the development of TissuGlu, no synthetic nontoxic adhesive on the market had the capability of sealing layers of internal tissue together strongly enough to keep fluid from accumulating; hence, drainage tubes were required. The tubes can clog or leak and cause infections.
In addition to minimizing risks of postoperative infection, use of TissuGlu reduces the amount of time needed for suturing, according to Forbes. Closure of a 12- to 16-inch wound with the new adhesive takes only three or four minutes, compared to the 30 minutes or so required for suturing.
Go back to the Cosmetic Surgery Times eNews newsletter.
