The Value of Scientific Publications in Surgical Device Innovation.

Background: Clinical trials represent a significant risk in the commercialization of surgical technologies. There is incentive for companies to mitigate their regulatory risk by targeting 510K over Premarket Approval (PMA) pathways in order to limit the scope, complexity and cost of clinical trials. As such, not all companies will publish clinical data in the scientific literature.

The Value of Surgical Data-Impact on the Future of the Surgical Field.

The combination of computing power, connectivity, and big data has been touted as the future of innovation in many fields, including medicine. There has been a groundswell of companies developing tools for improving patient care utilizing healthcare data, but procedural specialties, like surgery, have lagged behind in benefitting from data-based innovations, given the lack of data that is well structured. While many companies are attempting to innovate in the surgical field, some have encountered difficulties around collecting surgical data, given its complex nature.

Cutaneous Patches to Monitor Myoelectric Activity of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Postoperative Pediatric Patients.

Purpose: Limited means exist to assess gastrointestinal activity in pediatric patients postoperatively. Recently, myoelectric gastrointestinal activity recorded by cutaneous patches has been shown in adult patients to be predictive of clinical return of gastrointestinal function postoperatively. The aim of this case series is to demonstrate the feasibility of this system in pediatric patients and to correlate myoelectric signals with return of bowel function clinically.

A Simplified Method for Three-Dimensional Optical Imaging and Measurement of Patients with Chest Wall Deformities.

Background: Pectus excavatum and carinatum are two of the most commonly observed chest wall deformities in pediatrics. The standard diagnostic evaluation for these conditions includes either chest radiograph (CXR) or computed tomography (CT). Our research aims to develop a novel and reliable way of quantifying chest wall deformities in the clinic setting without radiation exposure.

Feasibility and reliability of pancreatic cancer staging using a new confocal non-fluorescent microscopy probe: a double-blind study in rats.

Background: Surgical management of pancreatic cancer depends on tumor resectability and staging. Lymph node (LN) metastases represent an important decision-making factor when it comes to surgical treatment.

Aims: To evaluate a new in vivo, endoscopic confocal microscopy (CM) system not requiring fluorescence markers, for detection and staging of pancreatic cancer in rats.

Original technique to close the transrectal viscerotomy access in a NOTES transrectal and transgastric segmental colectomy.

Segmental colectomy is an ideal procedure for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). Transanal endoscopic approaches have enabled rectosigmoid colectomy through a viscerotomy that is resected with the specimen. To extend NOTES segmental colectomy to the entire colon and beyond, a rectal viscerotomy will have to be safely and effectively closed at the end of the procedure.