Niti CAR 27 Versus a Conventional End-to-End Anastomosis Stapler in a Laparoscopic Anterior Resection for Sigmoid Colon Cancer

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Colorectal Anastomotic Techniques

Purpose

Anastomosis creation after resective gastrointestinal surgery is a crucial task. The present review examines the techniques and implants currently available for anastomosis creation and analyses to which extent they already address our clinical needs, with a special focus on their potential to enable further trauma minimization in visceral surgery.

Methods

A multi-database research was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. Comparative controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials dealing with anastomosis creation techniques in the intestinal tract in both German and English were included and statistically significant differences in postoperative complication incidences were assessed using the RevMan5.4 Review Manager (Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK).

Results

All methods and implant types were analyzed and compared with respect to four dimensions, assessing the techniques' current performances and further potentials for surgical trauma reduction. Postoperative outcome measures, such as leakage, stenosis, reoperation and mortality rates, as well as the tendency to cause bleeding, wound infections, abscesses, anastomotic hemorrhages, pulmonary embolisms, and fistulas were assessed, revealing the only statistically significant superiority of hand-suture over stapling anastomoses with respect to the occurrence of obstructions.

Conclusion

Based on the overall complication rates, it is concluded that none of the anastomosis systems addresses the demands of operative trauma minimization sufficiently yet. Major problems are furthermore either low standardization potentials due to dependence on the surgeons' levels of experience, high force application requirements for the actual anastomosis creation, or large and rigid device designs interfering with flexibility demands and size restrictions of the body's natural access routes. There is still a need for innovative technologies, especially with regard to enabling incisionless interventions.

A systematic analysis of controlled clinical trials using the NiTi CAR™ compression ring in colorectal anastomoses

Anastomotic leak following colorectal surgery can be a devastating adverse event. The ideal stapling device should be capable of rapid creation of an anastomosis with serosal apposition without the persistence of a foreign body or a foreign body reaction which potentially contribute to early anastomotic dehiscence or late anastomotic stricture. A systematic review was performed examining available data on controlled randomized and non-randomized trials assessing the NiTi compression anastomosis ring-(NiTi CAR™) (NiTi Solutions, Netanyah Israel) in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) standards. A protocol for this meta-analysis has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42016050934). The initial search yielded 45 potentially relevant articles. After screening titles and abstracts for relevance and assessment for eligibility, 39 of these articles were eventually excluded leaving 6 studies for analysis in the review. Regarding the primary outcome measure, the overall anastomotic leak rate was 2.2% (5/230) in the compression anastomosis group compared with 3% (10/335) in the conventional anastomosis group; this difference was not statistically significant (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.25-2.24; participants = 565; studies = 6; I ² = 0%). There were no statistically significant differences between compression and conventional anastomoses in any of the secondary outcomes. This review was unable to demonstrate any statistically significant differences in favor of the compression anastomosis technique over conventional manual or stapled mechanical anastomoses.

Efficacy and safety of a NiTi CAR 27 compression ring for end-to-end anastomosis compared with conventional staplers: A real-world analysis in Chinese colorectal cancer patients

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new nickel-titanium shape memory alloy compression anastomosis ring, NiTi CAR 27, in constructing an anastomosis for colorectal cancer resection compared with conventional staples.

METHODS

In total, 234 consecutive patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer receiving sigmoidectomy and anterior resection for end-to-end anastomosis from May 2010 to June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The postoperative clinical parameters, postoperative complications and 3-year overall survival in 77 patients using a NiTi CAR 27 compression ring (CAR group) and 157 patients with conventional circular staplers (STA group) were compared.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences between the patients in the two groups in terms of general demographics and tumor features. A clinically apparent anastomotic leak occurred in 2 patients (2.6%) in the CAR group and in 5 patients (3.2%) in the STA group (p=0.804). These eight patients received a temporary diverting ileostomy. One patient (1.3%) in the CAR group was diagnosed with anastomotic stricture through an electronic colonoscopy after 3 months postoperatively. The incidence of postoperative intestinal obstruction was comparable between the two groups (p=0.192). With a median follow-up duration of 39.6 months, the 3-year overall survival rate was 83.1% in the CAR group and 89.0% in the STA group (p=0.152).

CONCLUSIONS

NiTi CAR 27 is safe and effective for colorectal end-to-end anastomosis. Its use is equivalent to that of the conventional circular staplers. This study suggests that NiTi CAR 27 may be a beneficial alternative in colorectal anastomosis in Chinese colorectal cancer patients.

Can a nickel-titanium memory-shape device serve as a substitute for the stapler in gastrointestinal anastomosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Recently, a nickel-titanium (NiTi) memory-shape device has been successfully used in gastrointestinal anastomosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of the device.

METHODS

Four databases, reference lists, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials assessing the clinical efficacy of a NiTi memory-shape device compared with that of a stapler in gastrointestinal or colorectal anastomosis.

RESULTS

Seven randomized controlled trials regarding the use of compression anastomosis clips (CACs) were enrolled for meta-analysis. The use of CACs was associated with a significant reduction in hospital duration (mean = -0.88 d; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.38 to -0.38), the time to flatus (mean = -0.36 d; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.04), and the start of oral intake (mean = -0.45 d; 95% CI, -0.83 to -0.06), as well as a nonsignificant change in postoperative complications and mortality. These clinical outcomes did not significantly change with the use of compression anastomosis rings.

CONCLUSIONS

Colonic anastomosis with a CAC is likely to reduce hospital duration, time to flatus, and the start of oral intake without influencing mortality or postoperative complications and may be a safe and preferable choice in colonic anastomosis. Further well-designed trials should be performed to determine the safety and efficacy of the newly developed compression anastomosis ring in both ileocolic and colorectal anastomosis.