3M Medical Tape 4576 [Photo courtesy of 3M]
3M (NYSE:MMM) today launched an adhesive tape that can be used to secure medical devices to a patient’s skin for up to 21 days.
Maplewood, Minnesota-based 3M said its 3M Medical Tape 4576 is flexible, conformable and offers “excellent adhesion to the skin,” making it ideal for devices that need continuous extended wear both in and out of care facilities.
“People deserve to live active lives without their condition — or a device meant to monitor it — getting in the way,” 3M Medical Solutions Division VP Marcello Napol said in a news release. “Adhesives are more than a simple material. They have the potential to unlock longer wear times, slimmer device profiles and more. We’re excited about 3M Medical Tape 4576 and what it can offer device developers and real-time, proactive health monitoring as a whole.”
The new polyester nonwoven tape was developed by a team in the U.S. and Japan and was “being worked on virtually every hour of the day for a year,” said 3M scientist Audrey Sherman, who the company named as one of the leaders in the tape’s development.
“Collaboration is really what made 3M Medical Tape 4576 a reality. … It’s this deeply collaborative, thoughtful approach that will power future innovations,” Sherman said in the news release.
Read more about adhesive medical tape and wearable devices from 3M in this MDO Contributors Network article by Medical Solutions Division R&D Manager Del Lawson.