Extending the benefits of bioresorbable polymer technology
beyond cardiac surgery
The proprietary polymer materials developed by SyntheMed lend themselves to a wide variety of potential medical applications. Several development programs are underway to generate products that extend the benefits of this technology and improve the level of patient care in other surgical specialities. We believe that the surgical areas with the greatest potential include:
The incidence of infertility has risen significantly over the past 10 years. Worldwide, nearly 3 million women annually seek surgery to preserve or reestablish their fertility. Adhesions resulting from gynecologic surgery can cause chronic symptoms including pain, infertility and small bowel obstruction. SyntheMed's proprietary polymer technology shows great promise in gynecologic applications, and we are working to develop products to reduce the incidence of post-operative gynecologic adhesions.
The worldwide incidence of spine surgery is growing steadily, approaching 1 million procedures performed annually in the United States alone. There is typically a high level of trauma and bleeding associated with spinal procedures, particularly those involving the lumbar and cervical regions of the spine. At SyntheMed, we are working to develop anti-adhesion products that:
-
- Serve as a barrier, separating the exterior surface of the spine from the adjacent tissues during the post-operative healing period
-
Surround and protect the spinal cord from adhering to the inner surface of the spine
Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery
There are approximately 2 million surgical procedures performed in the United States each year involving the sinuses and sinus passages. As a result of the trauma and bleeding which occurs during these procedures, it is not uncommon for the sinus passages to become blocked, resulting in the need for a subsequent surgical procedure to clear the blockage. At SyntheMed, we believe there is great promise in replacing the current non-resorbable, post-operative healing solutions with products derived from our proprietary bioresorbable polymer technology.
