Totally intracorporeal delta-shaped B-I anastomosis following laparoscopic distal gastrectomy using the Tri-Staple™ reloads on the manual Ultra handle: a prospective cohort study with historical controls.
BACKGROUND
A delta-shaped anastomosis in totally laparoscopic Billroth I gastrectomy could be performed easily and sufficiently using only laparoscopic linear staplers. However, the restricted maneuverability and severe blurring of these staplers along with their limited hemostability induced strain. In this study, we determined the feasibility and safety of performing delta-shaped anastomosis using the Endo GIA™ Reloads with Tri-Staple™ Technology combined with Endo GIA™ Ultra Universal stapler (Tri-Staple) with a particular focus on short-term surgical outcomes.


METHODS
We performed a single-institutional prospective interventional study (UMIN 000008014). The Tri-Staple was prospectively used on 23 consecutive patients who underwent a curative totally laparoscopic Billroth I gastrectomy with delta-shaped anastomosis. These patients were matched with the 19 patients previously treated using the ENDOPATH(®) ETS Articulating Linear Cutters (ETS) on clinical and demographic characteristics.


RESULTS
There were no differences between the groups in anastomosis-related local complications, morbidity, non-anastomosis-related local complications, total systemic complications, and short-term outcomes with the exception of significantly reduced blood loss in the Tri-Staple group (ETS vs. Tri-Staple: 37 [10-306] vs. 15 [5-210] mL, p = 0.02). Intraoperative bleeding from the staple line was significantly reduced in the Tri-Staple group. The postoperative drain indwelling period (ETS vs. Tri-Staple, 6 [4-10] vs. 4 [2-43] days, p = 0.032), fasting period (5 [3-7] vs. 3 [3-24] days, p = 0.022), and hospital stay (14 [10-47] vs. 11 [6-58] days, p = 0.025) were significantly shorter in the Tri-Staple group. There was no mortality in this series. Acceleration assessed as indices of blurring of stapler tip might have a significant adverse influence on staple-line bleeding at stapling sites.


CONCLUSIONS
Totally laparoscopic Billroth I distal gastrectomy using Tri-Staple was feasible and safe with favorable short-term surgical outcomes. Reduced blurring while stapling may be a novel endpoint which newly developed stapling devices should target.
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan. mariko-m@bc5.so-net.ne.jp.
Mariko
M
Man-I
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan. ko-suda@nifty.com.
Koichi
K
Suda
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Kenji
K
Kikuchi
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Tsuyoshi
T
Tanaka
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Shimpei
S
Furuta
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Masaya
M
Nakauchi
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Ken
K
Ishikawa
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Yoshinori
Y
Ishida
Division of Upper GI, Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
Ichiro
I
Uyama
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005763:Gastroenterostomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013528:Surgical Staplers; D017792:Surgical Stapling / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Complication; Delta-shaped anastomosis; Endo GIA Tri-Staple; Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy; Staple-line bleeding; Stomach neoplasms