Portfolio of Ethicon Endo-Surgery Devices Prominently Featured in Numerous Studies Presented at SAGES

LANDOVER, Md., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (EES) today announced several of the company's novel devices are featured in 12 studies being presented at the 2010 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Annual Meeting. The extensive lineup of presentations demonstrate promise for next generation minimally invasive surgery using devices developed by EES, including the EES SSL Access System, Magnetic Anchoring and Guidance System (MAGS) (i), and a percutaneous instrument platform (i). The devices were used in several types of surgery, including blended approaches that draw from microlaparoscopy, single-site laparoscopy (SSL) and natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES).

EES is collaborating with surgeons to develop new devices and techniques for next generation minimally invasive surgery that may ultimately improve upon the benefits of traditional laparoscopic surgery. The efforts focus on reducing patient trauma, often by minimizing the size of incisions, to produce improved outcomes for patients, as well as minimizing required change in surgeon technique to help improve overall surgeon experience. Some of the devices featured in the studies presented at SAGES include:

• Magnetic Anchoring and Guidance Systems (MAGS): instruments consisting of an internal surgical device coupled across the abdominal wall and manipulated using an external handheld magnet. MAGS is being co-developed by EES and the University of Texas and applied in several types of next generation surgery, including reduced port laparoscopy, SSL, microlaparoscopy and NOTES.
• A novel percutaneous instrument platform: offers the cosmetic benefit of needlescopic surgery and the performance of traditional laparoscopy. This is accomplished by laparoscopically attaching a full sized 5mm or 10mm instrument head to a 3mm shaft introduced percutaneously.  This platform is designed to enhance microlaparoscopic, SSL and hybrid NOTES surgical approaches.
• Ethicon Endo-Surgery SSL Access System: a single port access device that provides surgeons versatility and efficiency for single-site laparoscopy.

"The ongoing innovation of devices is essential to the advancement of minimally invasive surgery. There is great promise in these new minimally invasive techniques, but there are some key problems remaining that we must solve," said Brian Dunkin, MD*, Methodist Houston Hospital. "For example, a common challenge with single-site laparoscopic surgery is loss of instrument triangulation. In my experience, the ability to establish a critical view during SSL was greatly enhanced using MAGS and a new and novel grasper from EES together."

A pre-clinical study using a percutaneous retraction device and a Magnetic Anchoring and Guidance System (MAGS), demonstrated how the integration of the percutaneous instrument platform and MAGS may help overcome some critical limitations of single site laparoscopic (SSL) cholecystectomy by improving surgeon dexterity. The authors of the study, who are from the Methodist Institute for Technology Innovation and Education at the Methodist Hospital, concluded that devices that enable surgeons to perform SSL more like traditional laparoscopy may improve adoption of this type of surgery.

Another study showed that EES devices may help overcome the technical challenges associated with SSL. This pre-clinical study featured the EES SSL Access System, MAGS and the percutaneous instrument platform. The study was led by doctors from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

A snapshot of additional presentations that feature EES devices at SAGES include:

• A clinical study, Transgastric Diagnostic Peritoneoscopy with Laparoscopic Assistance Using a Novel Flexible Toolbox For Advanced Minimally Invasive Procedures: An Initial Evaluation in humans, part of IDE trial, led by doctors from the Center of Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Ohio State University Medical Center, found that Ethicon Endo-Surgery's Toolbox for natural orifice surgery (i) facilitates transgastric peritoneal access, as well as access to difficult-to-reach areas of the peritoneum during NOTES and warrants further study.  This center is one of four investigating the Ethicon Endo-Surgery's Toolbox for natural orifice surgery in a human clinical trial under an investigational device exemption (IDE) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• A pre-clinical study looking at MAGS suitability for traditional or SSL Cholecystectomy, concluded that the MAGS cautery instrument performed well and was compatible with a LAP or SSL approach, proving especially useful in facilitating triangulation and eliminating instrument collisions. The study was conducted by doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
• Doctors from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine found that a hybrid approach, using several devices from EES, may make NOTES for small bowel resection technically easier than previous NOTES methods. The surgeons utilized several EES devices, including MAGS, the percutaneous instrument platform and the Ethicon Endo-Surgery Toolbox for natural orifice surgery. This center is also investigating the Ethicon Endo-Surgery's Toolbox for natural orifice surgery in a human clinical trial under an IDE from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• Doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School showed that Ethicon Endo-Surgery's Toolbox for natural orifice surgery can help facilitate a new minimally-invasive approach to the mediastinum and thoracic cavity.  A transesophageal approach with flexible instruments enabled the removal of intact lymph nodes from the chest – without the need for external incisions.

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) Investigational devices limited by federal law to investigational use only in the U.S.

*Paid consultant to EES

SOURCE Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.