I don’t think they can mend broken hearts
A thin polymer bio-film that seals surgical wounds could make sutures a relic of medical history.
Measuring just 50 microns thick, the film is placed on a surgical wound and exposed to an infrared laser, which heats the film just enough to meld it and the tissue, thus perfectly sealing the wound.
Known as Surgilux, the device’s raw material is extracted from crab shells and has Food and Drug Administration approval in the US…
“The beauty of this is that infra-red laser doesn’t cause any tissue damage. Better still, Surgilux has anti-microbial properties, which deters post-operative infections…”
The researchers — who are looking for commercial backing to initiate clinical trials — are planning a second generation version of Surgilux that incorporates growth factors and perhaps stem cells to regenerate nerves.
I try to focus many of my science and medicine posts on processes already on the way to real usefulness. This one surely does qualify.
At least we still have the BeeGees for broken hearts.
You close deep wounds in layers. The subcutaneous fat is pulled together with dissolving sutures. Most surgeons use staples to close the skin, unless its needs tension. This would help with with closing wounds, especially the antibiotic properties. Sutures can and do abscess. I know from experience that it isn’t pleasant having a large row of staples or sutures removed.
I can already hear my vegan friend complaining about how horrible harvesting crabs for this is.
There’s always super glue.
I have to agree with having staples removed. This would have been nice to have earlier this year when I broke my leg and ankle. No staple pulling would have been nice…
EtG