Cyanoacrylate adhesives topical skin wounds

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... 

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. 

Subsequently, cyanoacrylates have been used since the 1970s in Europe for a variety of surgical procedures and more recently in Canada. As a topical skin adhesive, cyanoacrylate enables emergency rooms to close wounds fester and reduces the need for stitches. Although veterinarians have been using-cyanoacrylates for years, the adhesive was not approved by the FDA until 1998 for use in the United States on humans. 

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