Cambridge Endo, a Massachusetts firm, is proud to have its single port laparoscopic technology selected by the Cleveland Clinic as one of the “game changing innovations” of 2009 at the clinic’s Medical Innovation Summit. The Single-Site Surgery/Single Port Access system, driven by the company’s proprietary Autonomy™ Laparo-Angle™ Instruments, allows for nearly scarless surgeries that patients are particularly excited about.
From Cambridge Endo’s press release:
Inderbir S. Gill, M.D., Chairman of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic commented, “[we] performed LESS live-donor nephrectomies in nine consecutive kidney donors for kidney transplantation. All aspects of kidney harvesting were completed though the navel. Instead of a visible six-inch scar and a six-week recovery period, patients recovered within two weeks and had a tiny scar hidden by their belly button. Because it only uses one port with multiple channels for the surgeon to simultaneously pass various surgical instruments, LESS may also reduce complications that might occur after traditional open and even laparoscopic abdominal surgery. My patients report less discomfort and have faster recoveries compared to those undergoing traditional laparoscopy.” According to the clinic, the return to work time for single port surgery donors is about 17 days vs. 51 for traditional multi-incision laparoscopic procedures.
Video of a single port simple nephrectomy:
Press release: Cleveland Clinic Selects Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Surgery (LESS) as One of the Top Ten Innovations of 2009
Product page: Single Port Access Surgery (SPA), Autonomy™ Laparo-Angle™ Instrumentation