One of the key variables influencing adhesion of TissuePatch products to tissue surfaces appears to be surface wetness. This is neither surprising, nor indeed unusual….liquid sealants typically “prefer” a drier surface too. So what’s going on here exactly? In the case of TissuePatch we’re confident that while moisture will activate our chemistry, too much moisture does not appear to use it all up….in other words, even a pre-wetted patch will have adhesive properties (although some adhesive energy will have been lost). So it would appear that moisture pooled on a tissue surface acts more as a lubricant between patch and tissue, so preventing physical contact and being effectively a “spacer” between the two surfaces we’d really like to come together. How to deal with this? Simply swab the tissue surface dry and if it’s an oozing surface make sure the TissuePatch is readied for immediate application post-swab. If tissue surface cannot be dried then additional effort to firmly “encourage” the patch to the tissue surface may be required. Usually an additional period of time in apposition will suffice, but the operator should always remember that a fluid layer between patch and surface is likely to compromise adhesion to that surface. Tomorrow…..we’ll demonstrate this with a video.
