IS IT WORTH USING MECHANICAL SUTURES IN GASTRIC-SURGERY

The stapler devices in gastrointestinal surgery has to be justified by the results. Since the cost of staplers is very high, their use shoul d be followed by some advantage in the operating time, the morbidity o r mortality rate or the postoperative stay. We have found a slight sho rtening in the operating time, but only statistically significant for Billroth I, and in the postoperative stay only for oesophagojejunostom ies mechanically performed. We have not found any advantage with the o ther techniques and in the other parameters. Consequently, the use of staplers in gastric surgery should be carefully assessed by the surgeo n for each patient in particular, and only used in those cases where a real benefit will be presumed.