Ethicon Endo-Surgery to Showcase Seven New, Innovative Surgical Technologies at SAGES

LANDOVER, Md., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (EES) will showcase seven new surgical technologies at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Annual Meeting. The new products, which will be officially available within the next few months, represent the company's commitment to transforming patient care by enabling innovation through collaboration across the continuum of surgical techniques and options -- from minimally-invasive to open procedures.

"To achieve the best possible patient outcomes, surgeons need technology solutions that are as diverse as the procedures they perform and the techniques they use," said Kevin Lobo, worldwide president, Ethicon Endo-Surgery. "This year, EES will be introducing numerous advancements for minimally invasive and open procedures that are designed to address specific surgeon feedback. We believe these devices will help reduce patient trauma during surgery and minimize changes surgeons need to make in their technique to harness the most current technology available to them."

Ethicon Endo-Surgery new product innovations for 2010 showcased at the SAGES conference include:

• Echelon Flex™ 45 Endopath® Stapler (launched April 2010): intended to provide surgeons with improved access and compression when deploying a 45mm staple line, the most utilized endocutter length in the United States for laparoscopic surgery.(i) Echelon Flex™ Endopath® Staplers deliver system-wide compression, natural articulation and optimal staple formation in a variety of tissue thickness.
• HARMONIC ACE® 45E Curved Shears (launching in 2010): this addition to the HARMONIC® family of ultrasonic devices, designed to improve access in obese patients, is 25 percent longer (or 9cm) than the standard length HARMONIC ACE® device. As with other devices in the HARMONIC® family, the HARMONIC ACE® 45E delivers the precision surgeons require with the versatility they need to cut, coagulate, grasp, dissect and create otomies – all without instrument exchanges.
• HARMONIC FOCUS® Long Curved Shears (launching in 2010): designed specifically to accommodate open procedures that require deep surgical access (e.g. upper gastrointestinal, colorectal and gynecological), this device will provide surgeons with the advantages of the HARMONIC® technology in a longer length (17 cm) that also has the look and feel of traditional surgical equipment.
• Ethicon Endo-Surgery Linear Cutter (launching in 2010): equipped with a novel and innovative staple design, this new open linear cutter  delivers optimal compression and hemostasis(ii) while an intermediate locking mechanism allows for easier, one-handed tissue manipulation, allowing surgeons to gently interact with tissue.
• Ethicon Endo-Surgery Intraluminal Stapler (launching in 2010): combines the benefits of Controlled Tissue Compression and Adjustable Height Staple technology to provide greater control and flexibility enabling surgeons to address the individual needs of each patient.
• ENDOPATH® XCEL™ with OPTIVIEW™ Technology (launched): the first and only trocar specifically designed to provide superior visualization by virtually eliminating trocar-induced smudging, the new OPTIVIEW™ Technology in the ENDOPATH® XCEL™ trocars is designed to carefully wipe bodily fluid or debris from the endoscope shaft and draw the fluid through wicking channels out radially towards the absorbent ring.  
• Ethicon Endo-Surgery SSL Access System (launched in late 2009): a single port access device that provides surgeons versatility and efficiency for single-site laparoscopy. The SSL Access System consists of two 5mm seals and a larger 15mm seal in a low profile design that allows surgeons to use a wide variety of instrumentation across several different procedures. Unique to the device is the 360 degree rotation of the seal cap which enables quick re-orientation of instruments during procedures and reduces the need for instrument exchanges.

Understanding tissue dynamics and the effects of surgery upon the tissue is at the foundation of product development at Ethicon Endo-Surgery. EES implements Halsted's principles of surgery— the importance of hemostasis, adequate blood supply and the gentle handling of tissue for safe and effective surgery -- when developing advanced surgical products.

About Ethicon Endo-Surgery

Ethicon Endo-Surgery develops and markets advanced medical devices for minimally invasive and open surgical procedures, focusing on procedure-enabling devices for the interventional diagnosis and treatment of conditions in general and bariatric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal health, gynecology and surgical oncology. More information can be found at www.ethiconendo.com.

(i)  IMS data report

(ii) Data on file

SOURCE Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.