Unmet NeedApproximately 4 million polypectomies are performed each year in the United States alone. Delayed bleeding is the most common post-operative complication of polypectomies, impacting between 0.3% and 6.1% of all patients. Some polypectomy techniques, such as hot snare (electrocautery), reduce immediate bleeding by coagulating tissue at the surgical site; however, delayed bleeding may occur once the coagulated tissue is eventually sloughed off. In contrast, cold snare polypectomy has a significantly reduced rate of delayed bleeding, at only 0.1%. Consequently, cold snare polypectomy has gained widespread clinical adoption and is the primary technique for resecting polyps of up to 10mm. However, further optimization of the cold-snare technique is required to minimize the number of delayed bleeding incidents. Hence, there is a need for an improved cold snare design to minimize bleeding during polypectomy procedures.
Technology DescriptionThe device is a traditional polypectomy wire snare with a modified cutting profile. The novel surface of the snare enhances its cutting ability, ensuring cleaner surgical margins and making the cold-snare procedure easier for gastroenterologists to perform. Additionally, the unique cutting surface promotes hemostasis by encouraging the tissue adjacent the surgical cuts to re-seal, further reducing the likelihood of bleeding. Also, unlike with existing hot forceps and hot snare techniques that thermally coagulate and destroy the tissue sample, the tissue samples retrieved by cold snare remain intact, allowing for histopathological analysis.
Stage of DevelopmentThe inventor has proposed a novel cold polypectomy snare design.
