Healthcare Industry News: minimally invasive surgery
News Release - May 31, 2006
SuturTek Brings Safety to the Operating Room with Industry's First Patented Fascia Suturing Device
360-Degree Fascia Closure Device Gets to the Point and Eliminates Dangerous Needle SticksNORTH CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--May 31, 2006--SuturTek Incorporated, a medical device company with a unique, patented, award-winning suturing solution, today announced that it is bringing suture needle stick prevention to the operating room. Used by hundreds of surgeons in hospitals across the U.S., the 360-degree Fascia Closure Device(TM) is the first safe suturing device available to prevent inadvertent suture needle stick injuries to surgeons, OR nurses, patients, and other hospital personnel during the riskiest aspect of all surgery: fascia closure.
According the American College of Surgeons, suture needle sticks occur in as many as 15% of all surgeries, and the most common cause of suture needle injury is suturing fascia, during which 59 percent of all suture needle injuries occur.
The 360-degree Fascia Closure Device is the first and only suturing solution with an FDA cleared claim that it "aids in the prevention of suture needle stick injuries." It is the first Engineered Sharps Injury Prevention (ESIP) device that enables hospitals to comply with OSHA regulations and federal and state needle stick prevention and safety laws - reducing cost, risk, and liability exposure. The 360-degree Fascia Closure Device meets hospital needs for cost-effective sharps safety, combining a robust, easy to use, ergonomic reusable device that can be sterilized in the hospital with economical, single-use, disposable needle-protected suture cartridges.
"Because of the prevalence of blood borne pathogens such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis, safety products that reduce the threat of needle stick injuries have transformed hospital's buying decisions across the complete range of sharps products," said Gerald Brecher, President and CEO, SuturTek Incorporated. "Suturing in the operating room is one of the most critical tasks during surgery, yet a safety solution that not only protects everyone but is also acceptable to both the surgeon and OR staff - has not been available until the introduction of our 360-degree Fascia Closure Device."
"As the first hospital to purchase this device, we immediately realized its potential to reduce suture needle sticks to all operating room personnel as well its added benefits of making wound closure faster and easier for surgeons across all surgical specialty areas," said Dr. Elias Arous, MD, FACS, Chief of Surgery for the Memorial Campus of UMass Memorial Health Care and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS).
Hospital administrators are always challenged with the potential for any liabilities resulting from needle stick injuries. Addressing this challenge, the 360-degree Fascia Closure Device provides a critical tool for hospital administrators to significantly reduce occupational health hazards in the OR environment.
"The 360-degree Fascia Closure Device will become the gold standard for how surgeons close fascia in millions of surgeries every year, preventing thousands of suture needle sticks in the process," added Brecher.
About SuturTek Incorporated
SuturTek Incorporated, with headquarters in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, is a privately-held, venture capital backed medical device company. SuturTek's patented platform technology is the basis for an entire portfolio of suturing devices that replicate traditional hand suturing techniques in open and minimally invasive surgery. SuturTek devices enable surgeons to suture more safely, quickly, and easily than traditional hand suturing. For more information, visit www.suturtek.com or call 866.839.0186.
© 2006 SuturTek Incorporated. All other marks are the property of their respective owners
Source: SuturTek
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