Recently, Medtronic announced the results of a retrospective study that examined the efficacy of the Aquamantys® system.

Blood loss can present significant problems during or after spine surgery by increasing the need for transfusions, which have been correlated to an increase in surgical complications for patients. Aquamantys® 2.3 bipolar sealers offers state-of-the-art Transcollation® technology, which utilizes radio frequency energy and saline to allow for hemostatic sealing of soft tissue and bone at the surgical site. It also reduces the amount of blood loss in surgeries and may even stop it all together. A featured tool surgeons may find useful is one that allows them to simultaneously cut and stop blood loss.

The system is effective in the way that it limits blood loss that usually occurs in spinal corrective surgery. This is beneficial to the surgeon and to the patient alike.

In terms of the patient, the lessened amount of blood loss can reduce allogeneic blood transfusions; sequentially, that minimizes the post operative infections and complications. The decrease in transfusion means a greater ability for the patient to maintain hemoglobin levels.

For physicians, Aquamantys® helps to improve the field of vision while conducting surgery, which, in turn, decreases the chance accidents occur and shortens surgery time.

"We are in this business of helping surgeons get patients back on their feet, and it is always exciting to see proof that our products are doing just that, especially in the pediatric population," announced Mark Fletcher, President of the Surgical Technologies business at Medtronic. "We are continually finding areas where the Aquamantys® System can give doctors the ability to better control intra-operative bleeding."

From the Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic, Pediatric Orthopaedic Service, Keith P. Mankin, M.D has performed over 176 spinal correction surgeries for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, 100 of which were carried out using the Aquamantys® 2.3 bipolar sealer and 76 without the sealer. Dr. Keith Mankin acknowledged, "The holy grail of spinal fusion in children has always been bloodless surgery. While we are not there yet, with the Aquamantys® System and a blood conservation program, I feel that we are getting closer to this goal..."

Dr. Keith Mankin observed that the total estimated blood loss was reduced a significant amount when the surgeries were conducted with the Aquamantys® 2.3 bipolar system by a total of 57 percent. The estimated blood loss per level fuse was reduced by 59 percent. He also displayed that the percentage rate went down from 6.6 percent to 0 for transfusions.

Further details on the retrospective study are available online and in the upcoming print edition of the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques, which will go into detail on the effectiveness of the Aquamantys® Systems.