An innovative patch has been developed by Oxford scientists to repair shoulder tissue
Patient trials are expected to begin this year on the protective patch, which wraps around soft tissue repairs, used by surgeons to treat torn tendon tissue.
As reported in Oxford Mail, it promotes faster healing in the rotator cuff – the muscles and tendons that control movement of the shoulder. The material degrades and is absorbed by the body after three to six months.
Andy Carr, an Oxford University Hospitals surgeon and Nuffield Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Oxford, led the development of the patch. He said: “Around a third of the population will suffer from shoulder pain due to tendon disease at some time in their life, making it the third most common musculoskeletal complaint.
“This type of injury will not kill you but it can seriously affect your quality of life.”
If successful it could be adapted for use in other tissue repair operations, such as heart surgery.
The project is between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and funded by the National Institute for Health Research, Oxford Biomedical Research Unit and the Medical Research Council.
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