A new surgical procedure was performed at the Munroe Regional Medical Center. A first training session was performed through three back-to-back StomaphyX procedures.
One of the trainees was a surgeon from Casa de Saude Santa Rita in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They looked at the monitors from the gallery area, which was separated from the operating room by large windows.
StomaphyX, developed by a surgeon, is a product of Washington-based EndoGastric Solutions. It has been used since December 2006 in Europe and got clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April.
StomaphyX, according to its maker and surgeons who perform the procedure, makes the otherwise high-risk revision gastric bypass surgery possible.
The procedure is done using a StomaphyX device, which is a form of an endoscope. It enters the patient's stomach through the mouth. The surgeon then uses suction and maneuvering to gather the stomach tissue bit by bit, pleating it from inside, and fastening the pleats with little blue plastic staples. There are no incisions.
Not all obese and overweight patients are candidates for StomaphyX. So far, the candidates have already had gastric bypass surgery, but the surgeon still has to decide who would benefit from the procedure.
The procedure is relatively new, there are no large-scale studies - or small ones, for that matter - to show the procedure's long-term outcome, benefits or risks.
However, based on results from similar procedures in Europe, the company is confident that StomaphyX is going to be safe and effective, especially when compared with the rates of complications from revision gastric bypass surgery.
It also costs roughly $10,000 compared to $25,000 for gastric bypass surgery, and requires no hospitalization in most cases. However, finding an insurance company that would cover the procedure can be tricky and most patients will need to pay out of pocket.
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