Up the Ante: Gold-Based Laser Sutures Could Replace Stitches

Surgery might just be taking a royal turn.

A new study suggests that golden sutures may be used to replace stitches that were previously used to close wounds. 

As infections and scarring at the site of sutures tend to pose frequent concerns for surgeons as well as patients, one recent advancement involving laser tissue welding (LTW) holds promise of reducing suturing problems while also shortening operation times.

The Engineer reports that LTW uses laser light to heat tissue, which in turn, causes the edges of incisions to seal tightly and quickly with less scarring. 

However, the only drawback to LTW is that its forms aren't very strong. This can be a concern during surgeries involving organs like the intestines, where any leakage could result in an extremely painful and life-threatening infection.

Researchers are therefore excited about a new gold-based "solder" material that can be used in LTW.

The material, a plasmonic nanocomposite, has gold nanorods in it that are so tiny 100,000 could fit in the period at the end of this sentence, according to a news release.

When testing the material on pig intestines, surgeons discovered that the material is very strong and forms a liquid-tight seal. It's also elastic enough to move with the body, reducing the risk of rupture and infection.

"Taken together, these plasmonic nanocomposites are exciting materials for laser-based tissue repair," the researchers said in a statement.