Magnetic surgery and magnets reduce pain and scarring

Magnetic surgery and magnets in medicine reduce pain

Since last innovations of Dr. Guillermo Domínguez, frow now on, magnets in medicine will be common. Magnetic surgery reduces the need for multiple incisions by inserting powerful magnets through the navel and controlling them with magnetic arms on the outside of the body, greatly decreasing scarring by up to 66% and, of course, minimizing pain in patients.

This new technology, which has been born from the hand of the Argentine doctor Guillermo Domínguez who uses this "surgery without fingerprints" in adults. In 2016 the paediatric section of the Vall d'Hebrón hospital implanted this technique together with Domínguez, with whom they performed the first operations. Today it is the only Spanish centre to perform operations with this minimally invasive technique.

This magnetic surgical system is composed of:

• Magnetic Grasper device. Has a delivery/retrieval shaft removed from the trocar after delivery and application of the detachable tip.

• Magnetic controller. It is positioned externally on the abdominal wall to magnetically attract the tip of the detachable intra-abdominal forceps and maneuver through the abdominal wall to achieve the desired retraction.

• Removable tip. With a non-fixed pivot point, unrestricted angles of movement and retraction by the trocar or its location.

How does the magnetic surgery system work?

A magnetic gripping device delivers and retrieves a detachable tip that attaches to the gallbladder and can also be repositioned. The magnetic clamp is adjusted through a single point of entry, such as the navel, which would be the same access through which surgical teams are inserted.

The permanent magnet is attached to a forceps and this is attached to the viscera or tissues that need to be moved, allowing the area to be cleared for the surgeon to work more comfortably and safely, as it is less cumbersome than using a surgical forceps.

The inserted magnet is directed from the outside with a more powerful magnet, called a magnetic controller, which is placed over the abdominal wall and used to maneuver the tip into the desired position. In this sense, the removal of the gallbladder can be performed with a single incision through the navel, unlike traditional or conventional techniques, which requires between three or four.

As a result, this results in a faster postoperative period, with less pain and less scarring.

Laparoscopic surgery may require four or five multiport incisions. Surgeons end up lacking triangulation when they move from a multiport port to a reduced port model. This can lead to instrument shock and poor visualization, leading to greater difficulty in the operating room and a greater overall risk in performing the surgery. A port limits movement.

But, with magnets in medicine, a surgeon can let go, so that mobility is not limited. In addition, the visibility of a single port is not limited once a surgeon lets go. It's a little like driving. If you can see well, you can go fast and safe. If you have to slow down, that costs more resources.

Gallbladder removal is a very common procedure, representing more than 700,000 surgeries in the United States each year, at a dramatically high cost to healthcare providers. This, as well as other surgeries, can be painful and costly, with long recovery times and powerful painkillers to achieve it.

The company that has developed this technology has spent more than a decade developing a magnetic surgical system to alleviate some of the challenges associated with common procedures, beginning with the removal of the gallbladder through a single incision.

By using magnets through the abdominal wall to maneuver tools during surgery, surgeons can benefit from a better view of the operative field.

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