Meghan R Pinezich, Mohammad Mir, Pamela L Graney, Daniel Naveed Tavakol, Jiawen Chen, Maria Hudock, Olimpia Gavaudan, Panpan Chen, Sarah R Kaslow, Jonathan A Reimer, Julie Van Hassel, Brandon A Guenthart, John D O'Neill, Matthew Bacchetta, Jinho Kim, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
Pulmonary air leak is the most common complication of lung surgery, contributing to post-operative morbidity in up to 60% of patients, yet there is no reliable treatment. Available surgical sealants do not match the demanding deformation mechanics of lung tissue and therefore fail to seal air leak. To address this therapeutic gap, we developed and systematically evaluated a sealant with structural and mechanical similarity to subpleural lung. Our "lung-mimetic" sealant is a hydrofoam material that has alveolar-like porous ultrastructure, lung-like viscoelastic properties (adhesive, compressive, tensile), and lung extracellular matrix-derived signals (matrikines) to support tissue repair...
January 27, 2024: Advanced Healthcare Materials