MicroMend: “micro-nail” for suturing the wound

Stitching is a common method of wound closure after surgery, but professional suturing requires certain surgical techniques and can cause pain to the patient. The MicroMend Skin Closure Device, produced by KitoTech Medical in Seattle, offers a potential for better change in wound healing.

The design concept of this microMend is somewhat similar to the band-aid. It is very thin and has two “micro-nail” array structures on each end. It can span the sides of the wound so that the micro-nails can be inserted into the skin to close the wound. (as shown in the figure)

Image source: microMend official website

This device is soft enough to fit the patient's body movements, and it has enough strength to match the stitching. This micronail is said to be painless and can be used continuously to the wound healing of the patient.

Dr. Ron Berenson

This concept was originally conceived by Dr. Ron Berenson, who has 25 years of experience in biotechnology and medical equipment. In 2012, he worked as an entrepreneur at the University of Washington Innovation Center. There, he was inspired by Dr. Marco Rolandi's research at the University of Washington. Dr. Marco Rolandi is committed to promoting wound healing using small chitosan microneedles. “Although we ended up using metal instead of chitosan, Dr. Rolandi inspired me to use micro-nails to close the wound,” Berenson said. Later that year, KitoTech Medical was founded and Berenson became CEO. After that, they completed the final version of the design and entered the preliminary clinical study to obtain the expected results. Now, the company is conducting more multi-center clinical studies to collect more clinical data to compare the differences between microMend and traditional wound closure methods.

Image source: medgadget

For patients, microMend offers many benefits. It has a tensile strength similar to that of a bandage, but it can make the wound heal 2 to 3 times faster and the scar left after healing is smaller than conventional methods. The distance between each micro-nail is only 2mm, which maintains a consistent and balanced distribution of tension, which reduces infection and scar formation, and provides an effective barrier for wound healing.

Image source: microMend official website

For doctors, microMend is a very easy-to-use tool that doesn't require special professional training like suturing, and relatively less than just a few steps to complete the closure of the wound. It is also easier to remove when the patient is at home and does not need to repeat the visit. In addition, Berenson pointed out, “It's as straightforward as a band-aid,” so it saves a lot of time so doctors can use it to diagnose more patients.

Recently, this device met with a large number of participating doctors at the annual meeting of the American Society of Dermatology. KitoTech Medica initially focused on the application of microMend to dermatological treatments and plastic surgery, as both speed and cosmetic effects are particularly important in both directions. Berenson pointed out its wide range of potential applications, including first aid, for blood vessels, spine and laparoscopic surgery. Its use can even extend to a wider range of wound care, and ongoing clinical studies have shown that its relatively mild tension allows it to effectively heal wounds and severe tears in the elderly. In these cases, the skin is usually too weak to be sutured.

In the future, this new way of wound closure is expected to help more people in the clinic.

Reference material

[1] microMend, a Novel and Time-SavingWound Closure Device

[2] microMend official website