Spray-On Stitches Could Be The Norm In The Future

Having had to have them several times over the course of my life, I can cell you for certain that stitches are no fun. Honestly, the stitches aren’t even the worst part – the worst part is getting stuck with the needle that’s supposed to numb you to the pain of the stitches. But what if there was some way to avoid all that unpleasantness? What if the stigma attached with sutures just vanished overnight and getting stitches was no worse than saying “aah”?

It turns out that researchers are currently working on a type of sutures which doesn’t involve any kind of sewing whatsoever. That’s right – stitches without the, well, stitches. Just how in the world does that work? A team of individuals from the University of Maryland have developed a way to use spray-on stitches to help your body heal after an operation or an injury. While this sounds a bit hard to believe at first, their technique has already shown some signs of success.

Polymer nano-fibers which will be used for spray-on stitches.

Stitches Are No Fun For Anyone

The researchers figured out a way to use a biodegradable polymer to replace painful sutures once and for all. After 42 days on the body, the material would (in theory) simply decompose and disappear. So far the team has tested out this technique on pigs and they have had good results.

It remains to be seen if this process will ever become standard for humans, but one can only hope for the best. After all, getting injured or having to have surgery is bad enough. Who wants to deal with stitches for weeks after the fact? I’m all for treatments that make healing all that much easier.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Image via wikipedia]

SOURCE: http://gizmodo.com/the-spray-on-surgical-film-that-could-make-sutures-redu-1553539956