Researchers at MIT have developed surgical tape that can seal leaks and tears in the gut. The commercial product is designed to replace sutures that are difficult to sew up in the intestine and can cause scarring or leakage. The adhesive patch is biocompatible and the researchers designed it to biodegrade once healed without adhering to adjacent tissue or causing inflammation. Researchers hope the technology will provide a fast and safe way to seal internal leaks, cracks and cuts.
Suturing slippery casings is a challenge, and if the casing later leaks, the consequences can be severe. To save surgeons time and potentially improve surgical outcomes, these researchers developed intestinal “tape,” an adhesive patch that quickly adheres to the intestine and seals leaks and tears. The band can remain in place for about a month to allow the underlying tissue to heal.
“We are studying a fundamental mechanical problem, adhesion, in an extremely challenging environment inside the body,” said Xuanhe Zhao, one of the developers of the new material. “There are millions of surgeries to repair gastrointestinal defects worldwide each year, and the leakage rate is as high as 20 percent in high-risk patients. This tape could solve that problem and potentially save thousands of lives.”
The adhesive in the tape is polyacrylic acid and also contains NHS esters that bind to proteins in the underlying tissue and help improve tissue bonding. A polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel helps the tape maintain its shape over time, and an outer layer of polyurethane prevents the material from sticking to nearby tissues and organs.
“We think this surgical tape is a good enabling technology to make it an actual commercial product,” said Hyunwoo Yuk, another researcher involved in the study. “Surgeons could use it like they use duct tape in the non-surgical world. It doesn’t need any preparation or previous step. Just take it out, open it and use it.”
The material is flexible, allowing it to expand and contract with the bowel. “We don’t want the patch to be weaker than tissue because it could burst,” Yuk said. “We also don’t want it to be stiffer because it would restrict peristaltic movement in the gut, which is essential for digestion.”
Study of scientific translational medicine: A commercially available bioadhesive patch for the seamless repair of gastrointestinal defects
Over: WITH
