CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, medical specialists used a new line of surgical instruments that allows nearly unlimited surgical access, and promises to reduce the complexity and shorten the learning curve for laparoscopic, or "key hole," surgery of the chest and abdomen. Manufactured by Novare Surgical Systems Inc., the company's EndoLink(TM) line of single-use, hand-held surgical instruments are the first to provide surgeons with enhanced anatomical access and device control not available with conventional, straight laparoscopic instruments.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051115/SFTU093 )
Unlike traditional endoscopic instruments that allow four degrees of freedom -- up/down, left/right, rotation, and in/out actuation, the EndoLink instruments articulate with wrist-like left/right and up/down movements inside the closed surgical field. According to Kerry Pope, Novare's president and CEO, the instruments were used in their first laparoscopic applications in lung lobe removal (lobectomy) and a complex gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy), combined with adhesion removal (adhesiolysis) and colectomy involving extraction of a portion of the colon.
"These first cases demonstrate how easily surgeons assimilate the use of EndoLink articulating instruments in difficult procedures," said Pope. "Port placement is less critical, ergonomics are significantly enhanced and challenging maneuvers are simplified, moving us toward our goal of providing surgeons with instruments that facilitate faster, safer minimally invasive surgery."
Surgeons Report Unlimited Freedom and Access to Surgical Field
Surgeons reported positive results using the new instruments, which were recently cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They found that EndoLink's additional two degrees of freedom may enable a whole new class of minimally invasive procedures, as well as significantly reduce the complexity and shorten the learning curve of a number of existing high-volume procedures of this nature.
"I believe EndoLink represents a new platform for endoscopic surgery," explained William Mayfield, M.D., a thoracic surgeon who performed the lobectomy at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Georgia. "The EndoLink technology allowed me to move the tip of a surgical instrument in degrees of freedom that were not previously possible in a hand-held instrument. Using Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS), I was able to reach around and behind the lung without changing instruments."
Paul Curcillo, M.D., director of minimally invasive and robotic surgery at Philadelphia's Drexel University College of Medicine who performed the colectomy and cholecystectomy said, "EndoLink allows us virtually any angle-of-attack -- we can approach organs from multiple angles by simply using our wrists in a natural and ergonomic movement. In two cases, we were able to complete both procedures without additional ports.
"Aside from the ease of tissue dissection, retraction and handling, I believe the EndoLink instruments will allow suturing and knot-tying to become more natural and efficient as well," Dr. Curcillo added. "Although this may require some preparatory training, using the instrument for all other maneuvers is intuitive, requiring virtually no additional training. In these cases, a surgical resident handled the instrument well, and had only been exposed to the EndoLink technology on the day of surgery. Her movements were natural, flowing and simple."
In September, The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) named the EndoLink family of laparoscopic instruments as one of the 2005 innovations of the Year.
About Novare Surgical Systems
Based in Cupertino, Calif., Novare Surgical Systems Inc. was founded in 1999 to develop, manufacture and market proprietary devices for minimally invasive and traditional surgical procedures. The company has commercialized the Intrack(R) family of atraumatic occlusion devices, which includes the Engage(R), Cygnet(R), Novaclip(R) and Greyhound(R) product lines. Enclose(R), an assist device for multiple proximal anasto moses in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, was introduced in 2002. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.novaresurgical.com .
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051115/SFTU093AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comNovare Surgical Systems Inc.CONTACT: Kerry Pope, President & CEO of Novare Surgical Systems Inc.,+1-408-350-9912, or kpope@novaresurgical.com; or Charles Versaggi, Ph.D. ofVersaggi Biocommunications, +1-415-397-3087, or cv@versaggibio.com, forNovare Surgical Systems Inc.
Web site: http://www.novaresurgical.com/
