Ethicon has developed a powered vascular stapler designed to provide greater precision and stability than currently available staplers for critical vessel transections.
The company says that the new Echelon Flex powered vascular stapler has the narrowest anvil of any stapler on the market, an articulating shaft and advanced placement tip that may allow for better visibility, navigation and precise placement during thoracic and other procedures, including VATS lobectomy (Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery) for lung cancer. Ethicon launched the Echelon Flew in the USA at the opening of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) 51st Annual Meeting.
“Thoracic surgery is performed in restricted narrow spaces around delicate vascular anatomy…This new powered thin lower profile stapler is designed to improve access, visibility and stability and delivers a secure, haemostatic staple line. It is a significant advance that may help surgeons avoid potential complications and improve patient outcomes,” said Robert J Cerfolio, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and section chief of Thoracic Surgery at The University of Alabama, USA.
A company press release states that the Echelon Flex has a curved, blunt anvil that is 26% narrower and a shaft that is 26% than the Covidien Endo GIA, offering the greatest angle of reach in the tight intercostal space. The new powered stapler also provides 11% greater manual articulation in each direction, allowing more flexibility during final placement than the competitor device. The technology also allows 83% reduction in tip movement during firing for less movement during transection. Due to proximity of vital structures and limited space during a thoracic procedure, increased stability is critically important.
