A synthetic, temperature-sensitive gel could help surgeons reconnect blood vessels more quickly, safely, and easily. The new gel, successfully tested in rats, could also enable more complex robotic surgery as well as minimally invasive surgery.
There have been few advances in the art of reconnecting blood vessels since French surgeon Alexis Carrel received the Nobel Prize in 1912 for his method of sewing them together. About a decade ago, surgeon Geoffrey Gurtner found himself longing for a substance that could be poured into the tiny blood vessels he was struggling to reconnect in order to prop them open while he sewed them together. "A lot of surgeries require reconnecting vessels," he says. "For two-thirds of operations, this would be helpful."
To read the full, original article click on this link: Gel Lets Doctors Fix Ruptured Blood Vessels without Sutures - Technology Review
Author: ALLA KATSNELSON
