Abdominal Surgery Without Skin Incisions

A new device enables surgeons to perform procedures through the gastrointestinal tract (GI) without cutting or puncturing the skin of the abdominal wall.

The natural orifice linear cutter (NOLC) is intended for use in the developing field of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). The device combines a 12-mm wide surgical stapling device with a flexible shaft. The NOLC allows surgeons to maneuver through the GI tract, turn corners, and close internal wounds with precisely-fired staples, all without making an incision in the patient's abdomen. Powered digital controls within the NOLC allow the surgeon precise command of the stapling instrument at the end of the shaft. The NOLC was developed by Power Medical Interventions (Langhorne, PA, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The NOLC is a device that will enable surgeons to advance laparoscopic surgery and NOTES to improve patient outcomes by reducing the pain, recovery time, and risk of wound infection associated with traditional surgical procedures,” said Ninh Nguyen, M.D., chief of the division of gastrointestinal surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center (USA).

"We expect the NOLC to have a positive impact on surgical practice in many procedures, including high-risk bariatric or 'weight loss' surgery where the ability to partition or 'shrink' the size of the stomach without incisions should reduce the rate of infection, pain, scarring, and recovery time for many patients,” said Michael Whitman, president, CEO, and founder of Power Medical Interventions.

NOTES is performed in the peritoneal space through natural orifices, obviating the need for skin incisions and possibly without general anesthesia.




Related Links:
Power Medical Interventions
University of California, Irvine Medical Center