An effective post-operative adhesion barrier utilizing physical hydrogels

Statement of Purpose: Adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue forming between internal organs and tissues following surgery, infections, and other types of bodily insult. Adhesions commonly occur following any type of surgery (including laparoscopic surgery) in any part of the body and are a consequence of normal wound-healing processes. Each year, more than 20 million abdominal, pelvic, thoracic, cardiac, or orthopedic surgeries are performed in the United States and adhesion formation reportedly occurs in upwards of 95% of patients.^1,2 Many of these patients are asymptomatic; however, approximately 15-30% require corrective surgery (known as an adhesiolysis) because of significant adhesion-related complications, including severe pain, bowel obstruction, infertility, or impaired organ function.^1,2 Moreover, even with no direct symptoms, adhesions pose a serious risk of complications to patients requiring secondary or tertiary operations due to increased operation times, hemorrhage, morbidity, and mortality.^1,2 Surgeons must often spend upwards of 4 hours lysing adhesions before the necessary surgery can begin. The cost for treatment of adhesions reached $2.25 billion in 2014 and resulted in nearly 1 million days of inpatient care.³ Because of the increasing economic burden placed on the US healthcare system from treatment of post-surgical adhesions, their prevention is a major unmet medical need.