ASTM F2458 is a testing standard that specifically focuses on characterizing the wound closure strength of tissue adhesives or sealants.

Adhesive wound closure is sometimes preferable to using staples or stitches, as it reduces patient discomfort is and is often more easy to apply. It is extremely important that these products perform as expected, as failure could cause internal or external bleeding and leave a patient vulnerable to infection at the wound site. In order for wounds to heal properly over time and prevent scarring, the adhesive must continue to hold the tissue together until healing occurs.

ASTM F2458 is primarily intended for comparative testing between different adhesive formulations. Identifying a repeatable and life-like substrate enables this standard to be used for quality control purposes of adhesive wound closure products. The test will provide the maximum force at the time of failure as well as the failure mode – typically labelled as adhesive (failure of the adhesive/substrate bond), cohesive (failure of the internal adhesive bond), or substrate failure (failure of the tissue). To read the standard in full, purchase ASTM F2458.