Some seemingly simple medical devices provide major cost and time savings. John Shannon, president and CEO of Incisive Surgical, based in Plymouth, says that his company’s Insorb Subcuticular Skin Stapler and Staples could eventually replace the standard metal staples used to close wounds after surgery.
 
“This staple is made of the same material as an absorbable suture—it’s a copolymer. These polymers break down via hydrolysis and heat,” Shannon says. “They’re basically sugars. They break down and eventually get carried out via the urine.” The staples dissolve in the skin in three or four months.

The resulting closure heals more quickly and uniformly, and is less likely to leave a highly visible scar than metal staples. The Insorb stapling system also differs from regular metal staples in the way it places the staples.

“A metal stapler works very similar to your paper stapler on your desk,” Shannon says. “[However,] our device has two compression arms that squeeze together the tissue. Then we have two surgically sharpened needles that are advanced into that tissue, and these two needles create a path for, and carry in our patented U-shaped staple with cleats. When you retract the needles, the cleats keep the staples in place.” This placing process takes less time than the alternative, and patients don’t need to return to have the staples removed.

The new staples are gaining ground with plastic surgeons, and are used at local hospitals including Abbott Northwestern, Fairview Ridges, Fairview Southdale, and Park Nicollet Methodist. Shannon says clinical tests have shown that the Insorb system decreases the occurrence of needle sticks for doctors and nurses, and lowers the infection and inflammation rates in patients.