A Surgical Super Glue that heals the Skin
Surgical superglue is a recent advancement in the field of medicine and surgery. The glue is termed as “Super Glue, 2- octyl cyanoacrylate or derma band. This glue acts as a highly elastic surgical sealant which effectively seals wounds in vivo. It effectively works when tissues are moving and shape the tissues even without the need for sutures.
Surgeons used to prefer sutures or staples in earlier times for the sealing of wounds, but it involves a difficult process where the wounds remain fragile and are not completely sealed.
To resolve these issues, bioengineers came up with these new surgical sealants which bond the tissues and prevent leakages. This recent advancement has paved the way for translational and as well as regenerative medicine. Currently, these sealants do not apply to most surgical procedures. The sealants can seal cuts, wounds and incisions instantly. Nasim Annabi, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University collaborated with the scientists at Harvard Medical School and Sydney. The technology is termed “MeTro”.
MeTro serves as an elastic gel to seal the wound. The gel is made of a human protein that reacts to UV light. The gel is applied to the open wound using a syringe and when the UV light gets activated, the wound gets sealed automatically. The gel solidifies and seals the wounds.
MeTro also serves as a micro-generated matrix where even the heart cells can adhere; tissue constructs were grown and thus serve as a potential source of cardiac repairs. Even lung damages and repair issues can be resolved by MeTro usage. It also helps in the wound-healing process. MeTro hydrogels possess different elasticity properties and cohesive strengths, and they support tissue adhesive strength. Metro elasticities works well in the presence of fluids like blood which serves as a major challenge for other sealants.
The beauty of the metro formulation is the tissues get auto-healed onsite with a short light-mediated cross-linking treatment. This allows the accurate placement of the sealant and helps in the proper interlocking of the tissue surfaces. Metro usage is highly trending among invasive surgical procedures.
It also serves the purpose of the potential application of serving internal wounds at emergency sites or hospitals. Tremendous research has been performed on the usage of these surgical sealants in both clinical and regenerative medicine. The usage of surgical sealants or MeTro serves as an excellent example of regenerative medicine. Metro usage is applicable in several hospitals in recent times. However, cyanoacrylate surgical glues are highly recommended for first aid.
Surgical glues are recommended for post-operative management. Patients are advised not to remove or replace the surgical glue once placed at the site of the wound. Even showers are not recommended until the complete wound-healing process is finished.
Advantages of Surgical Glues
It significantly promotes more granulation tissue (blood vessels and other tissues heal properly). These glues are cheaper and are less scary. They seal the wound against infection. Surgical glues can be used by non-professionals too. These sealants shed off naturally within 5-7 days after the healing process completes. They are usually pain-free.
The dermaband or surgical glue is frequently available in first aid kits, widely in usage for medical as well as non-medical applications. FDA has approved its usage on humans. These super glues come as single-use applicators.
Perfect seal and Hopson are a few medical surgical types of glue used widely in the market. There are two types of medical skin glues. One is for veterinary and the other is for humans. These products also have the same performance as Dermabond.
