Anti‐adhesive Membrane for Pleural Cavity

Abstract An anti‐adhesive membrane containing a large amount of glycerin was developed for lung surgery and was tested in the pleural cavity of six dogs. The test membranes were put between the lung and the chest wound of the pleural cavity wall to separate them. In five of the animals, no adhesion was observed after 3 weeks in the area where the membrane had been inserted, but the area without the membrane showed firm adhesion between the lung and the pleural cavity wall. A sixth animal observed for 3 months also showed no adhesion. Seprafilm, which is the product of choice for peritoneal surgeries, was used as a control in six dogs. Seprafilm could not prevent adhesion in the pleural cavity of all six animals after 3 weeks observation. The new test membrane contained glycerin, which gathered and dispersed abundant water. Together with this, growth factors are also dispersed, resulting in dilution of excessive growth factors at the wound sites. In general, fibroblasts do not migrate in an extremely hydrous gel matrix. Migration of fibroblasts into the membrane is minimized, resulting in the prevention of formation of adhesion tissue composed of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. From the results, we assume that water can prevent adhesion after surgery.