Novel surgical material from Siberia costs 10% of imported one

Chemists at the Tomsk State University (TSU) in partnership with their Siberian colleagues have developed what they claim is counter-adhesion material that beats the international competition in efficacy while being ten times cheaper to produce.

Post-surgery adhesions in tissues are complications that threaten to cause acute bowel obstruction or other disorders which may be lethal for a patient. To prevent that from developing, doctors sometimes have to do repeated surgical procedures.

The biodegradable films that come from Tomsk are said to both address the adhesion development problem and reduce the risk of inflammatory developments in a post-surgical period.

Back in March, the Tomsk-led chemical team patented their material based on naturally renewable cellulose derivatives. The films have been modified with nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds that are typically used in pharmaceutical production and possess proven anti-inflammatory effect.

The efficacy of the novel material has been proven in animal tests. Two groups of lab rats underwent surgery; group one had the new counter-adhesion material used, and group two had none. In the latter group, 80% of the animals developed adhesion complications; in the former, not a single rat had those.

The researchers also found out that the novel material was nontoxic, could efficiently fight inflammations, and biologically degraded within five days.

The cost of the Russian counter-adhesion material is less than $10 per film. A 13x15cm counter-adhesion film imported from the U.S., for example, costs about $115.

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