Preventing adhesions following surgery.

Appendectomy patients generally dread the walk they must take the day after surgery to keep things from "growing together." A new substance being tested by University of Texas at Austin researchers could make such painful exercises unnecessary.

Jeffrey Hubbell, a chemical engineer who specializes in biomedical applications, is a co-inventor of a gel that promises to be the best material available for the prevention of post-operative adhesions. Such adhesions are a part of the natural healing process, but can be detrimental or even dangerous if an organ attaches to adjacent organs or other body tissues. The substance is a polyethylene glycol-based liquid that is designed to be poured on tissue surrounding the site of the surgical procedure. The area then is irradiated with light, which turns the liquid into a gel that biodegrades after a few weeks. While the gel is in the body, a slippery barrier is maintained between the organs, and no post-operative adhesions will occur.

In addition to appendectomies, the gel can have applications to many other procedures, including heart surgery and ovarian cyst removal. Usage in gynecological surgery would be especially important...

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