Sandwich-like scaffold for effective hemostasis and anti-adhesion in cardiac injury

Abstract

Blood vessels are fully lined on the heart and sternum. Massive bleeding following heart surgery significantly reduces the effectiveness of anti-adhesion materials, resulting in severe tissue adhesion. Adverse outcomes in the follow-up surgery can also be brought on by post-operative adhesion. In this study, a sandwich-like scaffold was developed. Hemostatic sponges made of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose make up the top and bottom layers. An anti-adhesion fibrous membrane with poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid and polyethylene glycol-polylactic acid block copolymer made up the intermediate layer. As a physical barrier, the intermediate layer preserved the morphological integrity for more than a week. Following hemostasis, the layers of the sponges and the blood clot may degrade quickly, reducing the inflammation and fibrin deposition around the wound. This sandwich-like scaffold potentially has hemostasis and anti-adhesion properties that lower the activation level of coagulation factors and lessen bleeding.