Clinical evaluation of a haemostatic and anti-adhesion preparation used to prevent post-surgical adhesion

Abstract

TachoComb® consists of equine collagen in a sponge-like form coated on one side with human fibrinogen and bovine thrombin. This product functions as a haemostatic and physical barrier to inhibit post-surgical adhesion. In this study, we investigated TachoComb® to control oozing in 16 patients who required haemostasis. Evaluation of post-surgical adhesion by second-look laparoscopy was performed at 3 months and 7 months after initial surgery. Observation via laparotomy during Caesarean section was also performed at 13 months, 3 years and 4 years after initial surgery. In all but one patient, no macroscopic evidence of TachoComb® persistence was found. Furthermore, no de novo adhesions were detected at the TachoComb® application site. We have thus demonstrated that TachoComb® can be used to control oozing haemorrhage effectively from surgical sites and can prevent adhesion formation at the application site, and may thus be an effective method of preventing adhesion-induced infertility.