General Surgery

Newly cleared Harmonic Focus® + Shears with so-called Adaptive Tissue Technology promise accurate resection with consequent enhanced speed and surgical precision.

Covidien plc is to acquire Israeli Pillcam® purveyor Given Imaging, Ltd. in a deal worth $860 million net of cash and investments.

Intuitive Surgical has written to customers worldwide, and in the US the FDA has issued a Class II recall notice which contains the instruction that users should contact the company to arrange an inspection visit and repair or replace daVinci robotic surgery device components as necessary to avoid a friction-induced stalling problem.

Law firm Bernstein Liebhard LLP has issued a press release that brings us up to date, pointing in particular to a piece of research that suggests 30% of robotic surgery complications using Intuitive’s da Vinci system, as reported on the FDA’s MAUDE database, were either a result of operator error or technical failure of the robotic system itself.

Medtech Market Intelligence company Millennium Research Group (MRG), has launched a new report which looks into the future for laparoscopic surgery devices in the United States. MRG believes the market will see moderate growth, culminating with a market value of $4.5 Billion by 2022.

Surgical Innovations (SI), the UK-based designer and manufacturer of Minimally Invasive Surgery(MIS) devices, hosted its first ever international ‘Ultra’ MIS congress on Friday October 25th. Surgeons attended the event from across the UK and Europe.

Robot-assisted surgery is under the spotlight again as one research company claims the adoption of Intuitive Surgical’s daVinci system is riddled with flaws. Citron Research urges intuitive to “stop one-sided and misleading marketing to patients, without full disclosure of the risks”.

So CryoLife had a stake in hemostat maker Medafor. Medafor sells up to CR Bard, giving CryoLife a very healthy return on its investment. Even better is the fact that it has its own hemostat already out there in certain markets and en route to US approval.

Salt Lake device company Olive Medical will perform the first public demonstration of its SkopEon Single-Use HD Rigid Camera Scope “chip on the tip” technology at American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2013 Technical Exhibits October 7-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

Teleflex has acquired Israeli device development company Innolap’s microlaparoscopy platform for scarless laparoscopic procedures. The company’s novel device reduces incision diameter, nearly eliminating the need for stitches and enabling surgeons the ability to perform scarless laparoscopic surgeries.

Small bowel disease, including Crohn’s, is now within the diagnostic grasp of Gastrointestinal physicians in Japan with the news that Given Imaging’s optimised SB3 PillCam has been approved for market release. Sales will start in 2014.

Hemasorb Plus is provided ready-to-use and achieves hemostasis by mechanical tamponade. Its proprietary formulation is comprised of granular hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate and water soluble components that are fully synthetic and absorbable.

C. R. Bard, Inc. is to acquire privately-held Medafor, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of plant based hemostatic agents. The purchase price of $200 million will be paid at closing, expected to occur later this year, and future contingent payments up to an additional $80 million are based on specific revenue-based milestones through June 30, 2015.

SafeStitch Medical, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with robot-assisted device company TransEnterix, Inc. The collaboration is expected to leverage the strengths of both companies and is accompanied by a $30M private placement to help oil the wheels.

Improved PillCam SB Technology promises a more detailed and efficient small bowel examination for patients with conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and obscure GI Bleeding. And now it’s FDA approved.

Prostate cancer device specialist Theragenics Corporation®, has signed a definitive merger agreement, which will see all of the outstanding common … continue reading “Theragenics Sells to Investors”