Easier surgery with new medical device

A recent research project has designed a device based on the construction of a cable tie for surgery and made it of the same resorbable material as that is used in surgical suture. Odd V. Höglund from SLU (Swedish university of Agricultural Sciences) also developed methods for measuring surgical stress, including frequent measurements of blood pressure and heart rate combined with measurements of markers of stress in blood and urine, to evaluate and compare different surgical methods.

It is customary in many countries to have dogs neutered. To prevent bleeding upon the removal of the ovaries, a surgical suture (or ligature) is tied around the vessel. The use of cable ties made the procedure quicker and easier.

However, traditional cable ties are made of nylon and led to complications due to the non-resorbable material that would remain permanently in the dog’s body. The loop of the traditional cable tie would not close properly either. The research team decided to purpose-design the cable tie into a surgical device, where the loop would close completely, and then manufacture it using a resorbable material.

“The device has been developed and manufactured in cooperation with theUppsalamedical device industry”, says odd Höglund. “It is made of injection moulded polydioxanone, a well-known resorbable material used for sutures.”

The research team tested the surgical cable tie for neutering female dogs and studied the resorption of the device. The ovarian pedicle, where the ovarian vessels are situated, could be ligated with the device and the design provided a good tissue grip at ligation of a single artery. The material did not cause any complications.

“A patent has been granted for the device, which has been named LigaTie^®. The university’s aim is that research results should be commercialised and, to this end, support has been provided by Uppsala Innovation Centre, SLU Holding and Innovationsbron.”

The project also studied various methods for comparing and evaluating surgical techniques. Blood pressure, heart rate and plasma concentration of vasopressin increased quickly, albeit with different magnitude for different procedures, and the use of those parameters appeared to be promising methods for measuring surgical stress.

Female dogs neutered by use of a laparoscopic technique or a traditional open abdomen technique were compared. The results suggest that the faster recovery for dogs that are neutered with a laparoscopic technique is due to less tissue traction to abdominal organs with the laparoscopic procedure compared to the traditional open procedure. The difference is less likely to be caused by a difference in the size of the incision. Further studies are needed in order to demonstrate whether the use of the device enables surgery with less surgical stress compared to traditional suture.

More information

Odd Höglund’s dissertation takes place at SLU, Ultuna on the 17:th of February, 2012, SLU Dissertations, http://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/fristaende-sidor-eng/whats-on/dissertations/

Dissertation title: A Resorbable Device for Ligation of Blood Vessels – Development, Assessment of Surgical Procedures and Clinical Evaluation, http://pub.epsilon.slu.se/8589/

Odd Höglund, odd.hoglund@slu.se, +46 18 67 13 28

Department of clinical sciences, http://www.slu.se/en/faculties/vh/departments/department-of-clinical-sciences/

Press photo

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Odd Höglund. Photo: Alex och Martin Fotografer AB, Uppsala, Sweden