Researchers develop surgical glue for heart patients.
The Boston Globe (1/9, Weintraub) reports that researchers have developed a “surgical glue” for heart patients that “is nontoxic, biodegradable, and fast-drying even in the presence of blood, forming a bond that is strong enough to close a hole on a beating heart.” Research published in Science Translational Medicine shows “that the glue works in the harsh conditions of a surgical site.”
The NPR (1/9, Doucleff) “Shots” blog reports that thus far, the product has only been tested on animals, so it “is far from reaching the operating room or battlefield.” However, one of the researchers “hopes the adhesive will eventually replace traditional sutures and staples for some operations, especially heart surgery.”
HealthDay (1/9, Preidt) reports that “the adhesive is activated by ultraviolet light and provides an anti-bleeding seal within five seconds of UV light application when applied to high-pressure large blood vessels and heart wall defects, according to the study.”
