West Kendall Baptist Hospital is the first hospital in the nation to use the world’s smallest stapler instrument to close incisions in the gastrointestinal region of the body.
Juan-Carlos Verdeja, MD, on Mar. 3 completed the first surgical procedure in the United States using the cutting and stapling device developed by Cardica called the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 to perform an appendectomy. He has since performed one other appendectomy using the device.
The instrument, approved by the Federal Drug Administration in January, replaces the conventional 12mm stapler device used in minimally invasive procedures. The MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 already is in use in Europe.
“The availability of the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 will allow us to change the way we perform some less invasive procedures,” said Dr. Verdeja, chief of the General Surgery Division for Baptist Health Medical Group and medical director of Emergency Surgical Services for Baptist Health South Florida.
“We will have a smaller entry point for stapling, and an added advantage is the instrument can be moved at an 80-degree angle, rather than the customary 40 degrees, giving a better reach once inside the body. The result is more flexibility, better access to tight spaces and decreased surgical trauma. It opens the door to new possibilities and I am very excited,” Dr. Verdeja added.
West Kendall Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. Baptist Health is affiliated with Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and has designated West Kendall Baptist Hospital as its academic facility.
For more information, visit online at BaptistHealth.net.
