Stapler-less Burst Pressure in a Ex-vivo Human Gastric Tissue

After the LSG stapler line removal by electrothermal bipolar-activated device (LigaSure Atlas™, Valleylab, Boulder, CO, USA), a stapler-less hand-sewn reconstruction was adopted. A single extra-mucosal running barbed suture (3/0 V-Loc™ suture; Covidien, Mansfield, MA, USA), incorporating sero- and submucosal gastric layers, closed the gastric tube.

No reinforcement was performed, the stomach was re-sleeved along a 40F bougie with Echelon Flex Endopath 60-mm linear stapler (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH, USA) to reproduce standard volume of remnant LSG stomach and/or eliminating zig-zag shape of suture-line.