title: Laparoscopic gastrointestinal anastomoses using knotless barbed sutures are safe and reproducible: a single-center experience with 201 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intestinal anastomosis is a complex procedure during laparoscopy, mainly due to the difficulties knotting the sutures. Unidirectional barbed sutures have been proposed to simplify wall and mesentery closure, but the results for intestinal anastomosis are not clear. This study aimed to establish the feasibility and the safety of laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis using barbed suture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2011 and May 2012, 15-cm-long unidirectional absorbable barbed sutures (V-Loc; Covidien, Mansfield, MA, USA) were used for all laparoscopic intestinal anastomoses: one suture for closure of intestinal openings after mechanical anastomoses and two sutures for hand-sewn anastomoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 1-year period, 201 consecutive patients required 220 laparoscopic anastomoses for gastrojejunostomy (n = 177; 172 during Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and 5 after gastrectomy), ileocolostomy (n = 15), colocolostomy (n = 1), esophagojejunostomy (n = 5), and jejunojejunostomy (n = 22; 4 after small bowel resection and 18 during gastric bypass or gastrectomy). Senior and training surgeons performed 209 closures of intestinal openings and 11 hand-sewn anastomoses. There was no conversion to usual sutures. One fistula occurred in an esophagojejunostomy and was managed conservatively. One self-limited anastomotic bleeding occurred, and no anastomotic stenosis occurred during 6 months of follow-up evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of knotless barbed suture for laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis is safe and reproducible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, University Hospital of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, olivierfacy@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Facy
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Blasi
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goergen
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arru
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Magistris
authors.forename: Juan-Santiago
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Azagra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D057868:Anastomotic Leak / Q000453:epidemiology; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D004385:Duodenostomy / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007582:Jejunostomy / Q000379:methods; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013537:Sutures; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D058106:Wound Closure Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation