Inlet公司推出腹腔镜手术闭合系统

一种新型闭合系统被设计用来确保腹腔镜手术之后的伤口闭合，并防止肥胖患者手术后形成手术切口疝，这是肥胖患者中很常见的一种并发症。

疝，或者肌肉组织断裂，是腹腔镜手术时相当常见的并发症；而肥胖患者手术切口部位形成疝的危险更大。腹壁四层组织全层闭合可以防止这个问题出现。在肥胖患者进行手工缝合十分困难，这种新型闭合系统则为这种类型患者解决了全层闭合问题。叫做Carter-Thomason闭合系统XL，该系统被腹腔镜外科学会提名为2004年度创新产品。

这种新产品是由Inlet医学集团(Eden Prairie, MN, USA)研制开发的，以该公司的Carter-Thomason CloseSure系统为基础的，这种系统自1998年就已经上市。美国肥胖患者进行手术的数字正在快速增加。在2002年有63000例，其中15％是腹腔镜手术。2006年估计将有250000例患者进行手术，其中85％是腹腔镜手术。

Inlet医学公司的总裁兼首席执行官Lee Jones说：“当肥胖患者数字不断上升的时候，医生需要专门的手术工具以确保这个充满挑战群体的患者获得更好的预后。使用我公司的外科系统，医生能够完全闭合切口，防止手术切口处形成疝，无需延长手术时间即可获得更好的预后。”
 
Closure System for Laparoscopic Surgery
 
A new closure system is designed to ensure complete wound closure after laparoscopic surgery and prevent postsurgical herniation in obese patients, a common complication among those patients.

Herniation, or a rupture of muscle tissue, is a relatively common complication of laparoscopic surgery, and obese patients have a greater risk of developing hernias at an incision site. Full-thickness closure of the four layers of the abdominal wall prevents this problem. Hand suturing is especially difficult in obese patients, and the new closure system puts full-thickness closure within reach of these patients. Called the Carter-Thomason Closure System XL, the system was named the 2004 Innovative Product of the Year by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.

The new system was developed by Inlet Medical, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN, USA) and is based on the company’s Carter-Thomason CloseSure system, which has been marketed since 1998. The number of U.S. bariatric procedures is increasing rapidly. In 2002, 63,000 were performed, of which 15% were laparoscopic. In 2006, an estimated 250,000 procedures will be performed, with 85% completed laparoscopically.

“As the number of obese patients increases, physicians require specialized surgical tools to ensure the best possible outcomes for this challenging patient group,” said Lee Jones, president and CEO of Inlet Medical. “With this surgical system, physicians can close incisions completely, prevent herniation at the site, and improve outcomes without extending surgical time.”