A Pressure-Sensitive, Repositionable Bioadhesive for Instant, Atraumatic Surgical Application on Internal Organs

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Adhesion Science
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) offer reversible adhesion to dry surfaces.
• Existing clinical PSAs fail on wet internal organs due to interfacial water barriers.
• Medical device attachment to internal tissues remains a significant clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel pressure-sensitive, repositionable bioadhesive (PSB) capable of adhering to internal organs.
• To overcome the limitations of current adhesives in wet, internal physiological environments.
• To demonstrate the PSB's utility in surgical and analytical applications on internal tissues.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a viscoelastic copolymer for the PSB.
• Engineered the PSB to absorb interfacial water, enabling adhesion to wet tissues.
• Evaluated adhesion, repositionability, and tissue compatibility on internal organs (heart, lungs) in animal models.
• Assessed PSB performance in tissue stabilization and bioelectronic device integration.

Main Results:

• The PSB demonstrated instant and reversible adhesion to wet internal organs, including the heart and lungs.
• Adhesion was achieved by synergistically combining PSA viscoelasticity and hydrogel interfacial behavior.
• The PSB successfully facilitated tissue stabilization and integrated bioelectronic devices in rat and porcine models.
• No tissue damage was observed upon removal of the PSB after use.

Conclusions:

• The developed PSB effectively adheres to internal organs, overcoming the challenge of interfacial water.
• This novel bioadhesive offers a promising solution for medical device attachment in internal surgical and analytical procedures.
• The PSB's ability to adhere to wet tissues without causing damage opens new avenues for minimally invasive interventions.