Laser Welding Technique Seals and Heals Wounds

Laser Welding tissues and wounds with a carbon dioxide (CO2) could change the way doctors repair cuts and incisions on of the skin and inside the body during surgery.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU; Israel) perfected the new technique using a new CO2 laser that heats body tissue in a precisely controlled manner; if the laser begins to overheat and risks burning the tissue, laser power is reduced, and if the temperature is too low to complete a closure, laser power in increased appropriately. The researchers achieved this by coupling the CO2 laser to optical fibers made of silver halide. The silver halide fibers are used to deliver the laser's energy to the bonded cut, as well as controlling the temperature; they are also responsible for making it possible to bond tissues in inner organs such as the kidney, and even in brain surgery. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that the technique can be used to bond cuts on the cornea, bladder, intestines, blood vessels, or trachea.

Successful clinical trials have been carried out on patients undergoing gall bladder removal surgery; at the close of the surgery, four cuts were left on the skin of the abdomen, two of which were sutured and two laser-bonded. The results of the trials suggest that the laser-bonded tissues heal faster, and with less scarring. With permission granted by the Israel Ministry of Health (Jerusalem, Israel), the team will soon be treating longer cuts, such as those in hernia operations, and prospectively apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for larger-scale trials. If successful, the basic research could be developed into a commercial product within several years.

"Sutures or stitches are not water tight, and blood or urine can pass through cuts, causing severe infection,” said Professor Abraham Katzir, Ph.D., of the TAU Applied Physics Group. "Also, in many cases, a surgeon needs great skill to perform internal stitching, or in bonding tiny blood vessels, or in mending cuts on the skin so there will be no trace left on the body.”

"We think plastic surgeons will especially love this invention. Bonding tissues that heal well without scarring is a true art that few people possess,” added Professor Katzir. "It could also become a device for the battlefield, allowing soldiers to heal each other on contact with a laser wand.”

Related Links:
Tel Aviv University
Israel Ministry of Health