Surgical Staplers: The History of Conception and Adoption

The paper explores not well-known aspects of the development of surgical staplers. It is based on the review of the selected literature. It covers the novel idea of using metal staples that was successfully executed in 1908 by the Hungarian surgeon Hültl, and acknowledges contribution of Soviet specialists to the development of the mechanical suturing devices for many thoracic, abdominal, and vascular procedures. The paper also reflects on an almost detective story of how Ravitch, an American surgeon visiting the USSR in 1957, managed to bring to the United States a Russian stapler, which became a prototype for modern devices.