Cyanoacrylate adhesives skin closure

Components/ mechanism of action Light-activated polyethylene-glycol (PEG) polymer sealant for lung tissue. Monomeric (2-octyl cyanoacrylate) formulation tissue adhesive for skin closure. Bovine albumin cross-linked with gluteraldehyde tissue adhesive/sealant. 

At present there is only one commercially available tissue adhesive with approved on-label indications for skin closure. 2-Octyl-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond, Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ) is presently indicated for skin closure in wounds which are not under extreme tension. This tissue adhesive is approved for topical skin application only. It is not indicated for internal use. The material is useful in closing traumatic skin lacerations [4,5] after wounds have been thoroughly cleaned as well as for minimally invasive surgical incisions and even larger surgical incisions in elective cases. The cyanoacrylate is applied while the skin... 

OCA has a longer side chain than butyl cyanoacrylate. It was approved by the FDA for use in the United States in August 1998 for certain types of laceration. Its applications have been expanded and it is now marketed as Dermabond (a trademark of Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson Johnson Company) topical skin adhesive for closure of lacerations and incisions in place of sutures or staples. Later on, a 2-OCA formulated for greater flexibility, Liquid Bandage, was approved for use in the over-the-counter market in the United States for the treatment of minor cuts and abrasions [29]. 

Ethicon, Inc., (Somerville, NJ) vendors Dermabond Topical Skin Adhesive for closing surface or skin type wounds. This material is not intended for internal use. Closure Medical Corporation manufactures the actual adhesive. Ethicon, Inc. is a Johnson Johnson company. Dermabond is chemically 2-octylcyanoacrylate and it cures on contact with water, ethanol and others (i.e., addition polymerization and catalysis by weak bases). For internal tissues, the excessive moisture can overcure cyanoacrylate by saturating its surface with moisture, cause disbondment from the substrate, and render it useless as an adhesive. The cured polymer possesses a hard and brittle consistency. 

Although cyanoacrylates are now being widely used in the clinic for the closure of skin incisions, as described above, the principal adhesives used on the external surface of the body are pressure-sensitive adhesives. These are the only significant adhesives used on the body in which the application is frequently not made by a clinician, as they are on first aid dressings and other products for home use. 

---