Surgical Staple

Surgical Staple

Surgical staples are specialized devices utilized in surgical procedures to close skin wounds, connect or remove sections of the bowels or lungs, serving as an alternative to sutures. A newer innovation, introduced in the 1990s, involves the use of clips in certain applications, eliminating the need for staples to penetrate the tissue.

Stapling offers significant advantages over hand suturing, as it is faster, more precise, and consistently uniform. In procedures involving the bowels and lungs, staples are preferred due to their reduced likelihood of blood, air, or bowel contents leakage along the staple lines.

For skin closure, dermal adhesives (skin glues) have emerged as a popular alternative. The earliest commercial staplers were constructed from stainless steel and utilized titanium staples loaded into reloadable cartridges.

Modern surgical staplers are available in two main types: disposable, crafted from plastic, and reusable, constructed from stainless steel. Both varieties typically utilize disposable cartridges for loading.

Staple lines can be straight, curved, or circular. Circular staplers are commonly employed for end-to-end anastomosis following bowel resection or, to a lesser extent, in esophagogastric surgery. These instruments are suitable for use in both open and laparoscopic surgeries, with different designs tailored for each approach. Laparoscopic staplers are characterized by their elongated, slender profile and may feature articulation to facilitate access through limited trocar ports.

Certain staplers integrate a knife, enabling simultaneous excision and anastomosis in a single step. They are applied to close both internal and skin wounds. Skin staples are typically applied using disposable staplers and removed with specialized staple removers. Additionally, staplers find application in vertical banded gastroplasty surgery, colloquially known as "stomach stapling."

While most surgical staples are composed of titanium, stainless steel is more commonly used in some skin staples and clips. Titanium staples elicit fewer immune reactions and, being non-ferrous, do not significantly interfere with MRI scanners, although minor imaging artifacts may occur. Synthetic absorbable staples made from polyglycolic acid are also emerging, akin to many synthetic absorbable sutures.

It's important to note that titanium staples invariably contain some nickel content.