Innovative Stapler Provides Greater Control During Laparoscopic Surgery

A new powered endocutter with enhanced compression and stability ensures better control and smooth, consistent firing during minimally invasive procedures.

The Echelon Flex Powered Endopath stapler offers a minimum of 63% reduction in distal tip movement during tissue cutting and stapling, thus helping to protect tissues from damage. The system-wide compression and stability delivers consistent, properly formed staples across the entire length of the staple line, by maintaining a uniform gap in the jaws from the instrument's proximal end to distal tip. This control reduces the force required to fire the device, leading to less movement of the tip near vital structures during transections, potentially resulting in less tissue trauma even in thick tissue and at awkward angles.


A dual safety system includes a manual override, allowing surgeons to maintain precise placement and control of the jaws at all times. The surgeon also can pause or reverse firing at any time during the transection. Additionally, a manual jaw closure allows precise controlled placement by the surgeon on target tissue, and provides tactile feedback as the device is closed. A natural articulation and ergonomic handle design enables one-handed use, which lets the surgeon focus less on the instrument and more on the patient and the procedure.

A disposable battery pack--which contains four environmentally friendly lithium CR123a batteries--ensures full power for the case, and has a built-in power drain that ensures the battery pack is mostly drained within 24 hours, and can be thrown away immediately in the normal medical waste stream. The powered Echelon Flex uses the same wide range of cartridges as the regular Echelon Flex. The Powered Endopath stapler is a product of Ethicon Endo-Surgery (EES; Cincinnati, OH, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“At EES, understanding the scientific properties of living tissue and its relationship with surgical instruments is the foundation upon which we develop our instruments,” said Gabe Szabo, vice president of sales and marketing at Ethicon Endo-Surgery. “Through the addition of powered technology to our proven Echelon Flex platform, surgeons will benefit from a solution that combines enhanced system-wide compression and effortless firing to improve stability of the tip on or near vital structures and in thick tissue.”

Related Links:
Ethicon Endo-Surgery