New magnesium surgical clip ‘can be safely dissolved by body’

An advanced new type of surgical clip has been developed by researchers at Kobe University that offers numerous safety benefits over current technology.

The newly developed clip is five mm in size and made of a magnesium alloy, with calcium and zinc improving its microstructure to ensure superior fastening ability and formability.

A key advantage of this new clip is that it can dissolve and be absorbed by the body after a certain period of time, with little gas produced as it dissolves, and no inflammation of the surrounding tissues after one to 12 weeks.

Blood testing in animal subjects revealed that levels of magnesium and other substances in the blood were in the normal range after 12 weeks, with the clip likely to dissolve and exit the body within one year.

Currently, most surgical clips are made of titanium, meaning they remain in the body after surgery and can lead to medical complications, as well as interfering with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans of the area around the wound.

Professor Mukai Toshiji of the department of mechanical engineering at Kobe University, said: "We will conduct further in vivo studies and a clinical study within two to three years."