Stitches that Produce Electrical Charges
By Nica Martin
Stitches, otherwise known as sutures, have been an important tool in the medical world since 3000 BC. First used by Egyptians, they were originally made from the intestines of sheep and cows. While stitches are now made from different materials, they are still vastly important. Stitches are used on large, deep wounds for a few vital purposes: they help bring cells closer together, which speeds up the rate at which the wound heals; they lessen the size of the scar that is left; and they reduce the risk of the wound becoming infected as it heals.
A group of scientists at Donghua University in Shanghai, China, have been in the process of developing a type of stitch that produces an electrical charge, which accelerates the rate at which a wound heals. This stitch is the first of its kind, and, if it is successful, will mean a huge advancement in the medical field.
The stitches are able to produce an electrical charge through a process known as the triboelectric mechanism: when the muscles around the wound contract and relax, an electrical charge is created. This charge helps accelerate the rate at which the wound heals, as it attracts a higher number of cells to the area; the presence of cells is what leads to wound healing. This electrical charge would not be produced, however, if it were not for the specific material that the stitches are made of. The sutures are made of magnesium filament and two types of biodegradable polymers, which are layered together. Due to the stretchiness of these materials, these layers separate when the muscles around the wound contract. When this occurs, the movement between the layers generates an electrical field.
In order to test if these stitches would positively affect the healing process, the scientists at Donghua University began by testing the sutures on cell cultures. In this study, they started with a wound that took up 69% of the surface area of the cell. Within twenty-four hours, the wound that was treated with the electrical stitches had been reduced to cover just 10.8% of the surface area, while an identical wound that was treated with regular sutures still covered 32.6% of the area of the cell. Based on this experiment, the scientists reached the conclusion that the biggest advantage of the electrical sutures was that they accelerated the movement of fibroblasts, cells that help build connective tissue, to the location of the wound.
The most recent experiment that the scientists have conducted is a study on how the electrical stitches affected wounds in rats. Similar to the study they conducted on the cell cultures, they concluded that the electrical stitches were more beneficial than regular sutures. After ten days, the wounds that had been treated with electrical sutures were, on average, 96.5% closed, while the wounds that were treated with regular sutures were only 60.4% closed. Additionally, during this experiment, they also tested whether or not the electrical sutures would lower the rate of infection caused by stitches. They found that every wound that was treated with the electrical sutures had a lower level of bacteria than those treated with regular sutures, even if the wound that was closed with the regular suture was disinfected and the wound closed with the electrical suture was not.
While the stitches are not yet ready to be used on humans, they are already showing very positive signs. Once they are available for use on people, however, they will be groundbreaking, as they will provide a means for speeding up the process of which a wound heals, while also making it safer.
Works Cited
Davis, Nicola. “Scientists create surgical stitch to aid healing by electrical stimulation.” The Guardian, 8 October 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/08/scientists-surgical-stitch-sutures-electrically-stimulate-wound-aid-healing. Accessed 27 October 2024.
Freeman, Tami. “Electrical sutures accelerate wound healing – Physics World.” Physics World, 14 October 2024, https://physicsworld.com/a/electrical-sutures-accelerate-wound-healing/. Accessed 27 October 2024.
Irving, Michael. “Smart stitches generate electricity on movement for faster healing.” New Atlas, 9 October 2024, https://newatlas.com/medical-devices/smart-stitches-generate-electricity-faster-healing/. Accessed 27 October 2024.
Levine, Hallie. “18 Fascinating Facts About the History of Sutures.” Johnson & Johnson, 5 October 2016, https://www.jnj.com/our-heritage/history-of-sutures-ethicon. Accessed 27 October 2024.
