Brazilian researchers have reported that Panther Healthcare’s endostapler is safe and effective in patients undergoing Roux en Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and demonstrated a low complication rate. The outcomes were reported in the research paper, ‘Data Analysis On The Applicability Of The Endo Panther Healthcare Stapler In Video Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery’, presented at the 2021 Brazilian Bariatric Surgery Congress, in São Paulo, Brazil, November 11-13 2021, the official meeting of the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (SBCBM).
Investigators from Hospital Santa Rita, Contagem, and Hospital Santa Rita, São Paulo, Brazil, designed a study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the use of an endogenous stapler (Panther Healthcare) for RYGB procedures. The study included 708 patients (570 females) from October 2019 to March 2021 and reported outcomes from the peri-operative period to 12 months after surgery. Patients had an average age of 37 years.
Outcomes
The average pre-operative weight was 116.56kg and at six and 12 months, the investigators reported the average weight was 88.37kg and 73.35kg, respectively. The average pre-operative body mass index (BMI) was 42.91kg and at six and 12 months, the investigators reported the average BMI was 32.46 and 27.55kg, respectively. Figure 1 shows the weight follow-up before surgery, six and 12 months after surgery, showing that there was a gradual loss of weight over time.
The researchers reported seven post-surgical complications (0.99%) from 708 RYGB procedures. There were more complications in female patients than male patients (six and one, respectively). Complications included punctate stenosis of the anastomotic mouth, relapsed incisional hernia, loop occlusion, removal of kidney stone, an umbilical hernia, dehiscence in second PO and abscess drainage with EDA
The researchers stated the performance the endostapler does depend on the surgeon's knowledge and technical training to minimise the risk of complications: “Complications that may be inherent to the method used and the pathology in question, as observed in this analysis, even if the risks are in a reduced percentage, can be considered very serious when the instrument is not used properly.”
“The present study shows that the use of the stapler to apply regular sutures to the closure of gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastroplasties showed that the innovative anastomotic technical tool does not significantly reduce postoperative comorbidities’, the authors noted. “However, it proves to be effective for use in minimally invasive surgeries, providing safety in the healing process.”
“According to the findings found in this analysis, it was possible to conclude that the use of the Panther Healthcare Endostapler demonstrated efficacy and safety in the intra and immediate and late postoperative periods,” the authors added. “And could be another option for use in the surgical treatment of severe obesity without compromising the results.”
The authors of this paper were Alexandre A Elias, Arthur B Garrido Jr, Marcelo Roque de Oliveira, Renato Massaro Itu, Henrique Yoshio Shirozaki, Walter Takeiti Sasaki and Thiago Vidal.
This study was funded by Panther Healthcare.