Tissue welding with biodegradable polymer films–demonstration of acute strength reinforcement in vivo

Abstract

Polymer film patches may be a viable method to increase acute breaking strengths of welds using topically applied solder.

Preliminary biocompatibility experiment of polymer films for laser‐assisted tissue welding

“…The film placement in this particular study is different from previous studies [18][19][20]. There are two reasons for the change in film placement for this study.…”

“…The laser spot was manually scanned back and forth over the incision at a speed of about 1 cm/second for a total irradiation time of 50 seconds. The laser irradiance used was based on irradiances that yielded satisfactory weld strengths in previous in vitro studies [18][19][20] for a different welding geometry (topical application of the solder). A small set of trial experiments was performed to test the laser parameters and welding technique before conducting the experiments in this study (data not shown).…”

“…In addition, hydration experiments showed that patching the solder with the films results in short term (at least 1-2 days) improvement in the breaking strength in moist environments compared to unreinforced controls [19], a result that is important for preventing wound dehiscence during the first few days of healing. A recent acute in vivo study demonstrated the reinforcement effect with live tissue [20]. For the technique to be clinically applicable, however, gains in the acute breaking strength due to the reinforcement effect of the polymer film patch should not be negated by detrimental effects due to the presence of the film in the healing wound.…”

Thermal model for optimization of vascular laser tissue soldering

“…Biodegradable polymers such as polyglycolic acid or polycaprolactone have been used as carrier material for the liquid solder. They prevent runaway of the liquid solder and give additional strength to the anastomosis [13,[18][19][20][21].…”

Laser Welding of Biological Tissue: Mechanisms, Applications and Perspectives

“…Effective results using chromophore-doped solders have been reported for various tissues as arteries and skin. Another improvement of traditional protein solders relies on the addition to the albumin solution of biopolymers, such as PLGA (poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid)), which act as porous scaffolds [13]. These provide better flexibility as well as improved repair strength over albumin solders alone.…”