BACKGROUND: A circular aortic stapler has been developed to anastomose the open end of the aorta to a size-matched Dacron tube graft in one quick motion and without having to pull sutures through the aortic wall. METHODS: A prototype was developed, and its design and function were tested in bench experiments and compared with hand-sewn @entity254 . The basic design of the stapler is a central rod (anvil) surrounded by 10 stapling limbs, which can be closed over the anvil in a full circle, with staples extruded by turning a knob at the back. To test its function, a Dacron tube graft was inserted in the middle of a length of @entity291 aorta. One side was anastomosed with the stapler and the other hand-sewn in each of 10 experiments. @entity291 blood was infused under increasing pressure. RESULTS: It took considerably less time to complete the stapled @entity254 than the hand-sewn side (3 minutes, 46 seconds versus 15 minutes, 42 seconds). Initial leak occurred at low pressures on the hand-sewn side (mean pressure 40 mm Hg) compared with the stapled side (mean pressure 70 mm Hg). In 7 of 10 experiments, the leak became too brisk on the hand-sewn side to sustain pressure, compared with 3 of 10 with stapled anastomoses. The stapling device performed well in all cases except when the @entity291 aorta was too thick for the staples (two cases) or when there was a missed branch at the anastomotic site (one case). CONCLUSIONS: These experiments validate the concept and the design of this aortic stapler. There are some limitations in the current design, which will need to be modified before its use in live animals or clinically.

A Circular Surgical Stapler Designed to Anastomose Aorta and Dacron Tube Graft: Validation of the Concept and Comparison to Hand-Sewn XXXX in Bench Experiments.

@entity254 :: ('MESH:C563598', 'Disease') :: ['anastomosis'] @entity291 :: ('9913', 'Species') :: ['Bovine', 'bovine']
@entity254 :: (MESH:C563598,Disease) :: ['Anastomosis']
