Surgical Incision Closure: Start-Ups Address A Megatrend In Health Care
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Medtech start-ups are working to develop next-generation incision closure devices that address the shortfalls of gold standard sutures and staples. We profile three hopefuls in this issue: EndoEvolution, ZipLine Medical and ZSX Medical.
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EndoEvolution LLC
Despite great strides in minimally invasive surgery over the years, suturing continues to vex surgeons. That’s understandable, given the amount of hand-eye coordination required: surgeons hold two long instruments and watch a video screen from across the room while performing very intricate motions with their hands and fingers. EndoEvolution LLC has developed an automated suturing system that mimics the way surgeons manually suture. The Endo360° uses a traditional curved needle instead of a straight needle, and it drives the needle in the exact manner a surgeon would when suturing by hand: grabbing a needle from its tail, pushing the point of the needle through the tissue and picking up the point.
ZSX Medical LLC
Internal surgical closure following hysterectomies and C-sections is time-consuming, and it is associated with a number of costly complications, including infection and gynecologic adhesions. Reducing complications for patients and the resulting cost burden to health care systems worldwide are the goals of ZSX Medical LLC, which has developed a laparoscopic, bioabsorbable internal surgical closure system designed to be a superior alternative to standard suturing and stapling technologies used in hysterectomies, C-sections and other OB/GYN surgeries.
ZipLine Medical Inc.
For many years, non-absorbable and absorbable sutures and staples have been the primary method of closing the external skin layer. Both types of devices provide good incision closure to promote wound healing, but they have drawbacks. There hasn't been much innovation in incision closure over the last decade, but now, innovative companies are working to address concerns with the gold standards. ZipLine Medical Inc. hopes to be at the forefront of this evolution with a noninvasive, external skin closure system intended as an alternative to sutures and staples that decreases operating time, heals the wound in a uniform manner with minimum skin stress and a much-improved aesthetic result and is easily removed by the patient at home.