Improving Global Quality of Life
Improving Global Quality of Life
Improving Global Quality of Life
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9.16.2 Joining live tissues and coatings<br />
Joining <strong>of</strong> live tissues and coatings is a new emerging area with great innovation potential. The E.O. Paton<br />
Electric Welding Institute in the Ukraine developed and practically realised the possibility <strong>of</strong> making<br />
permanent joints on live tissues. Welding <strong>of</strong> live tissues was tested and approved for use in surgical<br />
operations (without restrictions) by medical supervision authorities. There is a need to get a deeper insight<br />
into the principles and nature <strong>of</strong> joining <strong>of</strong> live tissues and their regeneration in a living body. Investigations<br />
should continue to study biological peculiarities <strong>of</strong> joining <strong>of</strong> live tissues with implants. The range <strong>of</strong> artificial<br />
organs is widening, and there is a need to develop principles for their joining and compatibility with living<br />
organisms. New methods <strong>of</strong> hyperthermic treatment show high promise.<br />
High-temperature surgical technique is a new area in surgery, the development <strong>of</strong> which was started<br />
in Ukraine early in the 1990s. High-temperature (100-10,000 o C) effects on tissues <strong>of</strong> a living body allow<br />
performing separation (cutting) and joining (welding) <strong>of</strong> live tissues, arresting <strong>of</strong> bleeding (punctuate and<br />
parenchymatous), treatment <strong>of</strong> wounds for their sterilisation, acceleration <strong>of</strong> healing and prevention <strong>of</strong><br />
wound infection.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the promising fields in high-temperature surgery is affecting live tissues with flows <strong>of</strong> low-temperature<br />
gas-discharge plasma or heated gases. First <strong>of</strong> all, here one may distinguish such medical technologies as<br />
plasma cutting (destruction), coagulation and welding (joining) <strong>of</strong> live tissues. The jet <strong>of</strong> the low-temperature<br />
argon plasma required to implement these technologies is generated by special devices, i.e. indirect-action<br />
arc plasma torches.<br />
Another method for joining live tissues is thermal-spray welding, which consists in affecting tissues with<br />
a flow <strong>of</strong> hot gas generated by special devices. This method provides restoration <strong>of</strong> integrity <strong>of</strong> hollow<br />
organs and suppression <strong>of</strong> bleeding in surgical interventions by achieving a positive physiological effect and<br />
adequate recovery <strong>of</strong> tissues in the zone <strong>of</strong> welds (no-ligature). This method is also efficient for treatment <strong>of</strong><br />
purulent wounds, as it exerts a deleterious effect on wound infection and prevents its development. Plasma<br />
and thermal-spray methods <strong>of</strong> high-temperature surgery have been studied for the last five years in live<br />
animal experiments on white rats, rabbits and pigs. The results obtained are indicative <strong>of</strong> a high promise <strong>of</strong><br />
further technical and medical studies <strong>of</strong> the above methods, development <strong>of</strong> new equipment for their wide<br />
clinical application, and development <strong>of</strong> new medical technologies.<br />
9.16.3 Hot topics<br />
The main areas in welding <strong>of</strong> live tissues are:<br />
Utilisation <strong>of</strong> new sources for thermal-biological treatment <strong>of</strong> welded joints.<br />
Investigation <strong>of</strong> the nature <strong>of</strong> formation <strong>of</strong> joints on live tissues and biocompatibility <strong>of</strong> implants.<br />
Development <strong>of</strong> methods for joining live and artificial organs by welding.<br />
Optimisation <strong>of</strong> joining equipment and materials, widening <strong>of</strong> clinical practice.<br />
9.17 Nanotechnology and nanojoining sector<br />
Nanotechnology stands for the exploitation <strong>of</strong> nano effects. These are special material properties which<br />
a material displays from a certain size - as a rule from 100 nanometers and below (1 nm =10- 9 m). These<br />
special properties, which the material does not display on a macroscopic level, result from surface properties<br />
that predominate relative to the volume properties and that cause a quantum-mechanical behavior <strong>of</strong> the<br />
building blocks <strong>of</strong> matter. An effect that is very widely known, for instance, is the Lotus effect. The use <strong>of</strong><br />
146 <strong>Improving</strong> <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Quality</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Life</strong> Through Optimum Use and Innovation <strong>of</strong> Welding and Joining Technologies