Association between resection speed and staple form in tracheal resection using a stapling device

Abstract

This study investigated how the speed of tracheal resection affects staple form. A slow mode (SM) group (n=6) and an Adaptive Firing™ technology (AFT) group (n=6) were compared. In both groups, tracheae extracted from pigs were sutured and resected using a Tri-Staple™ black cartridge. After proteolysis of the tracheal stump, staples were collected, and the B-shape form was macroscopically evaluated and given a shape score of 3, 2, 1, or 0 in order from acceptable to unacceptable. The number of staples for each score was multiplied by the shape score and added together. This value was designated as the score for each case. The collected staple count was not significantly different between the two groups (25.5±1.0 vs. 26.3±0.8, respectively, p=0.16), although the resection time was significantly longer in the SM group (20.5±0.3 vs. 14.7±0.9 sec, respectively, p<0.01). The score was significantly better in the SM group than in the AFT group (66.8 vs. 49.3, respectively, p=0.008). For bronchi that are thicker or more rigid than normal, suture and resection were considered safer with SM than with AFT.