REPEL-CV, an anti-adhesion barrier developed by biomaterials company SyntheMed, has been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in open-heart surgery. The approval allows New Jersey-based SyntheMed to market REPEL-CV in Australia through a distributor. The product is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in pedatric cardiac surgery.
As OneMedPlace reported in March, SyntheMed is one of several companies developing and marketing anti-adhesion barriers, thin sheets of bioresorbable material designed to prevent fibrous bands of post-surgical scar tissue from forming between two organs. Adhesions can present long-term health risks and necessitate a second surgery to remove the scar tissue. Depending on the type of surgery, adhesions occur in 55 to 90 percent of patients. REPEL-CV is placed over the surface of the heart at the conclusion of open-heart surgery to prevent the heart from becoming connected to the sternum. After performing its task, the barrier degrades and is absorbed into the body.
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