Kryptonite to the Rescue

Most people associate kryptonite with Superman: it’s his weak point. For heart patients and doctors, the name could be a strong point.

Most people associate kryptonite with Superman: it’s his weak point. For heart patients and doctors, the name could be a strong point. A surgical procedure that uses a state-of-the-art superglue, dubbed Kryptonite, can greatly improve the recovery of heart patients who undergo open heart surgery, says the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

The superglue is used to speed up the closure of the breastbone after surgery, and in future, may be used to replace the steel wire used to seal up the bone. Dr Paul Fedak, a cardiac surgeon at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta at Foothills Hospital Medical Centre, says the superglue is like natural bone and allows for new bone growth. The recovery process using a steel wire takes about eight weeks. The superglue halves the time taken for the bone to heal. There are also less side effects. “Patients had significantly less pain in the post-operative period. They required less strong narcotic painkillers,” says Dr Fedak.

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TCA Sharad Raghavan