ABSTRACT 15

PRECLINICAL EXPERIENCE PERFORMING A STAPLED PROXIMAL ANASTOMOSES

Mathew Williams, Jason Budde, Joe Orban, Kevin Sniffin, Lisa Heaton, Robert Michler, John Puskas, Mehmet Oz.

Columbia University, Emory University, Ohio State University, US Surgical

Ideal proximal anastomoses would be performed rapidly and reproducibly without aortic clamping.  We evaluated a stapling device that could achieve this goal in a sheep model.

Aorto-coronary bypasses were constructed using autologous veins to study the effect of stapled (One Shot Aortic, US Surgical) versus sutured proximal anastomoses.   Proximal experimental anastomoses were constructed using the stapling device without aortic clamping, control proximals and distals were created with standard techniques.  Six animals were sacrificed immediately and 7 survived for 4 weeks. 

All 11 stapled anastamoses were created successfully in less than 10 seconds and without clamping.  There was no difference in flow between sutured and control anastomoses.  Of the 3 control and 5 experimental vessels examined at 4 weeks all were patent and histologically similar.

The one-shot anastomotic device was successful at creating rapid effective hemostatic anastamoses without the need for an aortic clamp.  In short term follow up there is no difference between stapled and sutured anastomoses in respect to flow and patency.