Increased staple loading pressures and reduced staple heights in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy reduce intraoperative bleeding.

BACKGROUND: In laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, tissue thickness and closed staple height of the staple cartridge determine the pressure applied to the tissue. Prior studies have suggested 8 g/mm2 to be ideal to minimize leaks or bleeding.
METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between staple loading pressure applied to gastric tissue and bleeding rate prospectively with a novel tissue measuring device and video-recorded operative findings for 116 patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy performed by 2 surgeons at a single institution. Stapling protocol 1 was used for 64 cases, defined as standard practice, typically using green-blue-blue-blue Ethicon staple cartridges. Stapling protocol 2 was defined as blue-blue-white-white or gold-blue-white-white.
RESULTS: Tissue thickness measurements from 39 cases and staple load selection showed that surgeons preferred a median staple loading pressure of 15 g/mm2. Tissue thickness measurements at 15 g/mm2 had a mean of 1.86 mm at the antrum, 1.71 mm at the body, and 1.15 mm at the fundus, all significantly thinner than tissue thickness at 8 g/mm2. For each 10 g/mm2 increase in minimum pressure and maximum pressure value within each cartridge zone, there was a reduction in bleeding rate by 59.8% and 38.7%, respectively. Compared with stapling protocol 1, stapling protocol 2 had a lower intraoperative bleeding rate (90.2% vs 70.7%; P < .0001), usage of preventive hemostatic techniques (100% vs 10%; P < .0001), and hemostatic treatments (66% vs 46%; P = .04). In the 30-day postoperative period, there was 1 bleed in stapling protocol 1; there were no leaks.
CONCLUSION: Our data suggest using shorter closed staple heights to exert higher staple loading pressures decreases intraoperative bleeding rates in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.