Abdominal wall and groin hernias are a common surgical problem and the gold standard of care is to place a surgical mesh at the weak spot where the hernia came through, to strengthen it. Meshed hernia repairs are complicated by post-operative chronic pain in c54% of patients. Chronic pain can occur due to the mechanical fixation methods used to secure the mesh during surgery including sutures and permanent/absorbable tacks.
This innovation project is developing a novel, heat activated, adhesive polymerisation system (‘glue’) that could be used for meshed groin hernia and abdominal wall repairs. This easy-to-use solution will allow better manoeuvring and positioning and bond strength without recourse to additional fixation methods currently required during the repair.
The team plan to use the funding from the Medtech Accelerator to further develop the adhesive polymer formulation and early testing to then ready this technology for commercialisation.
Inventors
Mr Andrew Hindmarsh
NHS Organisation
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Award Amount
£93,000