Post-Operative Internal Tissue Attachment

Excessive internal tissue attachment can occur following surgery and causes adjacent tissues and organs to attach to one another. Abnormal internal tissue attachments are an exceedingly common and pervasive consequence following many types of surgery including cardiac, neurological, and abdomino-pelvic surgery occurring at a rates of up to 90% (1). This post-surgical complication is often the root cause of additional problems including significant pain and impaired organ function (2). As an example, postoperative epidural fibrosis is the development of dense tissue attachments adjacent to the dura mater of the spinal cord after spinal surgery. It is caused by fibroblasts from the surrounding tissues that invade the vertebral canal around the spinal cord and form excess connective tissue between the dura mater and nerve roots, causing back and leg pain or even neurological deficits following neurologic surgery. Additionally, epidural fibrosis makes reoperation of the site difficult because of an increased risk of nerve root damage. Across multiple surgical specialties, an estimated $4 billion in added healthcare costs are attributed to extended hospital stays, increased hospital readmissions, and additional surgical procedures performed to remove abnormal tissue attachments (3,4). There is a significant need for a product that will effectively prevent tissue attachment between organs following surgery and reduce associated complication expenditures.

Reports indicate that internal scarring occurs in 50% to 90% of gynecological, 70% to 90% of abdominal, and 60% to 90% of cardiac related surgeries (5). Complications stemming from the formation of internal tissue attachment are unique to the source of tissue attachment within each respective body cavity. 

(1) Menzies, D.; Ellis, H. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 1990, 72, 60-63.
(2) Liakakos, T.; Thomakos, N.; Fine, P. M.; Dervenis, C.; Young, R. L. Digestive Surgery 2001, 18, 260-273.
(3) Wiseman, D.: ARD. Synechion, Inc., 2003.
(4) Reza, M.; Chan, A.; Heilala, S.; Huynh, N.; Ross, V.: US Market Research. Millenium Research Group, 2013.
(5) Elder, M.; Cotthoff, T.: Market Research Report: Markets for Advanced Wound Care Technologies. BCC Research, 2011.