[Mechanical digestive system suturing devices]

Between 1994 (December)-1996 (May) 150 patients have been operated on using one or many stapling devices. The staplers disposable to us were the "Linear Cutter" or GIA (Gastrointestinal Anastomosis), "Linear Stapler" (TA) and "Intraluminal Circular Stapler" or EEA (end-to-end anastomosis) types, produced by ETHICON (Johnson and Johnson Ltd. Company). The principles operations performed were various digestive resections, intervisceralis anastomosis and interventions of reconstructions (in oesophagus surgery, ileal pouch etc.). The advantages of staplers applications are: a) the reduction of the time of operation, of the anesthesia, of the blood loss; b) a soft manipulation of the tissues; c) a smaller inflammatory reaction and the prevention of intraoperative septic contamination and d) a better and faster take back of the functionality of the anastomosis. There were only 4 intraoperative haemorrhages easy controllable. Postoperative complications: a) 3 haemorrhages medically treated; b) immediate leakage 1 patient after colorectoanastomosis, treated by Hartman colostomy; precocious, 7 patients and after 4-6 month, 2 patients. Corrective iterative interventions were necessary only in 5 patients. The operative mortality-1 patient, the cause of death being a bronhopneumonia after a radical oesophagectomy with oesophagoplasty (oesophageal cancer). There was not postoperative mortality depending of stapling application. We don't observed late postoperative complications like stenosis of various anastomosis, quoted in the literature, because the time of following of our 150 patients is too short (maximum 18 months). The conclusions are that the stapling devices are a real surgical progress with the conditions of a correct indication and adequate tactics and operative technique. The economical effort is justified and entirely compensated by the major benefits obtained for the patients.