MORE ABOUT SURGICAL STAPLERS

Surgical staplers are medical devices used during surgical procedures to close external wounds or connect internal tissues and organs under high tension. They can be used both externally and internally, though the FDA is reporting that increased rate of problems is linked to the surgical staplers used internally. Much like regular paper staplers, surgical staplers bring separated tissues back together to facilitate healing, though they look more like construction staplers than office staplers, with a handle and lever the surgeon uses to apply the staple.

Surgical staplers can help close wounds that are too large or complex to close with regular stitches. They’re used as an alternative to traditional sutures in gastrointestinal, gynecologic, thoracic, and other surgeries, particularly when it’s necessary to remove part of an organ, cut through organs and tissues, and create connections between structures. Surgical staplers are faster to apply, allowing surgeons to more quickly close a wound. They also reduce scarring, present a low risk of infection, and may be less painful than regular stitches.

Surgical staplers, which are sometimes preferred to sutures for minimally invasive surgeries, can cause serious injuries by firing malformed staples into organs or other tissue in the body. Defective staplers may not fire all staples necessary to bind an incision, causing bleeding or leaving an incision unsealed.

Medtronic, which acquired Covidien in 2014, and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon control the vast majority of the surgical stapler market in the United States. The two companies produce 4 out of 5 surgical staplers used in American hospitals. They also combined have recalled more than 3.4 million staplers, staples and components since 2013.