Scientists say a new kind of surgical stitch they have developed is as strong as traditional stitches and turns one downside of sutures into a plus. Too much movement can be a problem with ordinary stitches, but the sutures developed by a team of researchers in China generate an electric charge when stretched, through a process the Guardian compares to "when a balloon is rubbed on hair." Electrical fields have been shown to speed up healing, and the team says that in experiments on rats, wounds treated with the new stitches healed almost 50% faster.
The team found that the new stitches also reduced the risk of infection, with electrical stimulation limiting bacterial growth. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers said they had developed a "passive and biodegradable mechanoelectric suture," consisting of a core filament of magnesium wrapped in two layers of biodegradable materials. "The suture generates electricity by creating opposite charges on the suture's middle and outer shell when muscles relax and contract, based on the triboelectric effect," says co-author Chengyi Hou. "This generates an electric field at the wound site to accelerate wound healing."
Like other modern stitches, the sutures are made from bioabsorbable materials, meaning they do not have to be removed, reducing the risk of infection. The team says clinical trials on humans are underway and the cost of the stitches is similar to the cost of other bioabsorbable sutures, the Guardian reports. (More sutures stories.)
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