| Résumé : |
Medical adhesives are found all around us, from the hospital to the nursing home and even your own home, you will see them at work. Envision any device that sticks to the skin and it is probably doing so by means of a medical grade adhesive. Traditional applications include bandages, dressings, electrodes, grounding pads and ostomy appliances. At your local drugstore, you will find finger bandages, pore cleaning strips and nicotine patches sold over the counter.
In 1874, Robert Wood Johnson and George Seabum began large scale manufacturing of surgical tapes in East Orange, N.J. The adhesive was made from natural latex rubber and it did a fairly good job of securing various devices to the body during surgery. Johnson and his two brothers later went on to start a company, Johnson and Johnson.
It was not until the advent of acrylic-based polymers in the 1950s that modifications could be made to peel, tack and shear properties based on the specific needs of the patient. For example, an adhesive could be formulated with very aggressive adhesion for use on a cardiac lead used during a treadmill stress test while a much gentler one could be used on the fragile skin of an infant or elderly person.
Today, the trend is for adhesives to do more than just adhere well. They are expected to perform other functions such as:
-conduct electricity either into or out of the body;
-deliver active ingredients to the skin such as moisturizers, salicylic acid and vitamins;
-replace sutures ans staples by closing breached skin and internal tissue;
-deliver drugs through the skin and into the blood stream;
-provide a molecular pathway for evaporation of moisture trapped against the skin;
-and promote healing by creating optimum healing environments, absorbing moisture, and controlling infection.
In the future, look for the commercialization of de-activatable adhesives and "smart" adhesives which can indicate when a dressing needs to be removed due to the presence of infection, time duration or other environmental triggers. |
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Skin care in ADHESIVES AGE, Vol. 44, N° 12 (12/2001)
