Surgical staplers

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Surgical staples are specialized staples used in surgery in place of sutures to close skin wounds, connect or remove parts of the bowels or lungs. 

 

 

The use of staples reduces the local inflammatory response, width of the wound, and the time it takes to close.

 

 

With current suturing techniques there is no significant difference in outcome between hand sutured and mechanical anastomoses, including clips, but mechanical anastomoses are significantly quicker to perform.

 

 

In patients that are subjected to pulmonary resections where lung tissue is sealed with staplers, there is often postoperative air leaks.

 

 

Modern surgical staplers are either disposable and made of plastic, or reusable and made of stainless steel. 

 

 

Surgical staplers are generally loaded using disposable cartridges.

 

 

The staple lines available may be straight, curved or circular. 

 

 

Circular staplers are used for end-to-end anastomosis after bowel resection.

 

 

Sirgical staplers may be used in either open or laparoscopic surgery.

 

 

Laparoscopic staplers are longer, and thinner, and may be articulated.

 

 

Some staplers have an incorporated knife, to allow excision and anastomosis in a single operation. 

 

 

They may be used to close both internal and skin wounds. 

 

 

Skin staples are usually applied using a disposable stapler.

 

 

Skin staples are usually removed with a specialized staple remover. 

 

 

Vertical banded gastroplasty surgery utilizes staplers: stomach stapling.

 

 

Vascular staplers are used in organ transplantation surgery.

 

 

Most surgical staples are made of titanium.

 

 

Stainless steel is more often used in some skin staples and clips. 

 

 

Titanium staples produce  less immune system reaction and does not interfere significantly with MRI scanners, although some imaging artifacts may result. 

 

 

Synthetic absorbable staples are available, based on polyglycolic acid, as with many synthetic absorbable sutures.

 

 

Skin staplers are removed, usually between 5 and 10 days, depending on the location of the wound.