Sealant Shown to Reduce Postsurgical Adhesions

A clinical trial in Europe involving 21 babies with heart defects has shown that a synthetic sealant significantly reduced postsurgical adhesions when compared to controls.

The clinical trial involved newborn babies with congenital heart defects requiring surgery and a second follow-up surgery as part of their routine treatment. This allows surgeons to determine whether adhesions were significantly reduced or prevented. The sealant, called CoSeal, was used in 14 newborns with complex congenital heart defects and eight have returned for follow-up surgical procedures. CoSeal substantially reduced adhesions compared to control patients.

CoSeal is a synthetic, self-polymerizing liquid biomaterial that can be prepared in one minute and resorbs in less than 30 days. Because it is synthetic, the risks of disease transmission associated with blood products are eliminated. CoSeal adheres to tissue where it is applied and remains in place during the critical wound-healing period. It is now being marketed in some countries as a vascular sealant, says the developer, Cohesion Technologies, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA, USA).

"My colleagues and I were astounded when we opened the child during a follow-up surgery and saw that only minor adhesions had formed as a result of the previous surgery,” said Dr. Jianshi Liu, heart surgeon, Charite Hospital (Berlin, Germany).




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