by What are Anastomosis Devices?
This device is a surgical instrument that is used to join two hollow structures together, such as blood vessels or sections of intestine, after part of an organ has been removed during surgery. Some common examples of anastomoses include joining the intestines back together after removal of a diseased section (bowel resection) or connecting blood vessels after heart surgery.
Types
Stapling Devices
One of the most common types of anastomosis devices are stapling devices. Stapling devices use stainless steel staples to seal and join the cut ends of tissues together. They are automated, fast acting devices that can create an anastomosis within just a few seconds. This makes them particularly useful for minimizing operative times during minimally invasive surgeries. Some leading brands of circular staplers include Ethicon EEA, Medtronic DST Series EEA, and Covidien ILS.
Suturing Devices
Suturing devices utilize pre-loaded sutures, usually made of absorbable materials like polyglycolic acid (PGA) or polydioxanone (PDS), to manually sew the tissues together. Compared to staplers, suturing devices may provide a stronger seal but require more time and expertise to use. Examples include the Autosuture device and LSI Solutions ENDOPATH stapler.
Tissue Adhesive/Sealant Devices
Tissue adhesive/sealant Anastomosis Devices use synthetic or biological glues to bind tissues together. Some common tissue adhesives used include fibrin glues and cyanoacrylate glues. While very fast acting, tissue adhesives alone may not provide adequate strength and are usually used to reinforce a staple or suture line. Examples include Tisseel fibrin sealant and DuraSeal dural sealant.
Advantages
Faster surgical times
One of the key advantages of anastomosis devices is that they significantly reduce the time required to create an intestinal or vascular connection compared to traditional hand-sewn methods. This leads to shorter operative times and less time that the patient has to spend under anesthesia.
Greater accuracy and precision
Anastomosis devices provide a more precise, uniform seal compared to hand-sewn techniques that can vary in consistency between surgeons. The automated nature of staplers ensures a perfect edge-to-edge apposition of the tissue edges being joined.
Lower risk of leakage
Properly performed mechanical anastomoses using devices have shown significantly lower leakage rates of 1-3% compared to 5-15% for hand-sewn anastomoses. This leads to fewer post-operative complications.
Enable minimally invasive surgery
Anastomosis Devices are indispensable for creating intracorporeal connections during laparoscopic and robotic surgeries by allowing reconstruction through small incisions, without the need for open conversion. This translates to less postoperative pain and quicker recovery for patients.
Areas of Clinical Use
Colorectal surgery
Circular staplers are most commonly used in colorectal surgery procedures like bowel resection, where they enables fast, leak-proof joining of the bowel ends. Stapled anastomoses are now considered the new gold standard for gastrointestinal reconstruction.
Cardiovascular surgery
In cardiac surgery, vascular cartridge-based devices like the 3M Precise stapler are frequently used to reattach blood vessels like the aorta and attach vein grafts. This facilitates procedures like coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Thoracic surgery
For procedures involving lung resection surgeries, including lobectomies and segmentectomies, linear staplers or suturing devices are used to rejoin segments of the bronchus or pulmonary arteries.
Bariatric surgery
In bariatric weight-loss procedures like sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, circular staplers enable creation of gastrointestinal bypass conduits and attachments.
Future Trends in Technology
Tissue welding
Newer energy-based devices using technologies like laser, ultrasonic or radiofrequency energy aim to precisely weld tissues together without relying on foreign materials. This may further reduce leakage risks.
Suturing robots
Robotic suturing platforms assisted by computer vision hold promise to one day perform extremely precise, consistent intracorporeal suturing even beyond a surgeon’s capabilities.
biosynthetic materials
Natural or biosynthetic polymers are being investigated as tissue adhesive replacements to provide biodegradability without compromising on strength.
Anastomosis devices have revolutionized gastrointestinal, vascular and other reconstructive surgeries by enabling faster, more accurate tissue reconnection. Their role in enabling minimally invasive approaches has hugely benefited patients. Continuous innovation is further improving clinical outcomes with each new generation of these indispensable surgical tools
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
