By YU Haoyuan

When sticking the tape on the perforated heart of a pig, the bleeding can be stopped and the heartbeat was not affected. (PHOTO: SCREENSHOT)

In the near future, pasting protective tape may become an essential skill for surgeons.

A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has recently developed a medical tape that can be used to stop bleeding in wounds, as well as replacing sutures to allow wounds to heal.

The tape is made with a nonadhesive and a bioadhesive layer by sticking them together with an adhesive. The adhesive is made from polyacrylic acid, an absorbent material found in diapers.

With such a design, the tape has strong adhesion and is completely water-resistance, which means it can be applied to wounds even if they are wet, something many medical adhesives cannot do.

Additionally, its excellent malleability can ensure it is stretched as required without falling off the wound. Therefore, it can withstand the forces of expansion and contraction of the skin and internal organs and causes little pain when sticking to wounds.

What is more astonishing is that it can even be used for internal wounds, an improvement on traditional stitches in all respects.

Researchers have experimented by sticking the tape on the perforated heart of a pig. The result showed that the bleeding stopped and the heartbeat was not affected.

The tape is expected to become a truly affordable product and may replace traditional wound closure methods in the future.