Dextera Surgical’s MicroCutter Technology Highlighted at Annual Meeting of the German Society for Thoracic Surgery
September 27 2016 - 4:05PM
Dextera Surgical Inc. (Nasdaq:DXTR), manufacturer of the
smallest-profile and most maneuverable articulating surgical
stapling platform on the market for minimally invasive surgery,
today announced two presentations featuring the company’s
MicroCutter 5/80 surgical stapler at the Annual Meeting of the
German Society for Thoracic Surgery in Freiburg, Germany.
The use of the MicroCutter 5/80 to enable new and innovative
procedures was discussed during presentations from Davor
Stamenovic, M.D., thoracic surgeon at St. Vincentius Krankenhaus in
Karlsruhe, Germany, and Thomas Kyriss, M.D., thoracic surgeon at
Robert-Bosch-Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery in Gerlingen,
Germany.
During his presentation on uniportal video assisted thoracic
surgery (VATS) for anatomical lung resection, Dr. Stamenovic
compared his first experiences performing the innovative procedure,
which is enabled by the MicroCutter 5/80, with traditional VATS
approaches. The uniportal approach uses a single small incision in
the chest to remove cancerous lung tissue. In comparison,
traditional VATS approaches require four to five ports located in
various places in the patient’s chest to accommodate the variety of
surgical tools used during the procedure.
“Uniportal VATS procedures for lung resection promise to reduce
patient recovery times, pain, and length of hospital stays
eventually even improving the patient’s quality of life,” said Dr.
Stamenovic. “The MicroCutter helps make this procedure easier
because it offers the widest articulation of all surgical staplers.
The MicroCutter’s small size helps increase visibility, reduces
dissection of tissue, and avoids interference with other
instruments within the narrow operating area inside the chest.”
In a presentation focused on diagnostic wedge resections, Dr.
Kyriss introduced a new technique to perform the procedure using
only 5mm incisions. Diagnostic wedge resections are performed to
remove and collect small portions of cancerous lung tissue and
assess the progression of the disease to evaluate treatment
options. Today, this procedure requires the use of 12mm trocar
ports to accommodate large conventional staplers and the use of a
chest drain leading to patient pain and discomfort both from the
trocar port itself and the drain to remove fluid from the chest
cavity after the procedure. Dr. Kyriss’ technique is enabled by the
small size of the MicroCutter 5/80 because it allows the use of
small 5mm ports through the rib cage and eliminates the need for a
drain.
“Reducing the invasiveness of lung surgery for cancer patients
reduces pain and has the potential to improve recovery times and
ensure the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Kyriss. “This new
procedure requires the small size and increased articulation
provided by the MicroCutter, creating a unique and compelling
option for my patients.”
“The MicroCutter has already demonstrated to leading thoracic
surgeons around the world that a more flexible, smaller surgical
stapler enables less invasive approaches in thoracic surgery," said
Julian Nikolchev, president and CEO of Dextera Surgical. "These new
procedures demonstrate the MicroCutter’s potential to enable the
migration of some of these procedures to the bedside or to be
performed on an outpatient basis, helping surgeons further advance
patient care.”
About Dextera SurgicalDextera Surgical
designs and manufactures proprietary stapling devices for minimally
invasive surgical procedures. In the U.S., surgical staplers
are routinely used in more than one million minimally invasive
laparoscopic, video-assisted or robotic-assisted surgical
procedures annually.
The company's signature proprietary technology, the MicroCutter
5/80 Stapler, is the world's first and only five-millimeter
surgical stapler that articulates to 80 degrees in each direction.
As the smallest-profile articulating stapler available today, the
MicroCutter 5/80 Stapler may reduce the amount of dissection and
tissue handling required to position the stapler in confined
spaces, enabling access to difficult-to-reach anatomy. The
cartridge-based device's small size and wide articulation range are
designed to enhance the surgeon's access and visualization at the
surgical site and to mitigate limitations on the advancement of
minimally invasive surgical approaches created by larger stapling
devices.
Dextera Surgical also markets the only automated
anastomosis devices for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
surgery on the market today: the C-Port® Distal
Anastomosis Systems and PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis
System. These products, sold by Dextera Surgical
under the Cardica brand name, have demonstrated long-term
reliable clinical performance for more than a decade.
MicroCutter Indication Information The
MicroCutter 5/80 Stapler is manufactured and cleared for use in the
United States for transection and resection in multiple open or
minimally invasive urologic, thoracic and pediatric surgical
procedures, as well as application for transection, resection
and/or creation of anastomoses in the small and large intestine,
and the transection of the appendix. The MicroCutter 30 White
Reload has application in vascular tissue.
Forward-Looking Statements The statements in
this press release regarding Dextera Surgical’s beliefs as to the
expected benefits to be achieved from the use of its MicroCutter
5/80 are "forward-looking statements." There are a number of
important factors that could cause Dextera Surgical’s results to
differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking
statements, including: that Dextera Surgical may not be successful
in its efforts to make the improvements necessary to its enhanced
MicroCutter device due to unanticipated technical or other
difficulties; risks inherent in obtaining regulatory approvals; as
well as other risks detailed from time to time in Dextera
Surgical’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended March 31, 2016, under the caption “Risk Factors.”
Dextera Surgical expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking
to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statements contained herein. You are encouraged to read Dextera
Surgical’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, available at www.sec.gov.
Contact:
Investors:
Bob Newell
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
(650) 331-7133
investors@dexterasurgical.com
Media:
Jessica Volchok
(310) 849-7985
jessica@nicoleosmer.com