The system was used for secondary interventions to repair previously implanted endografts as well as in de novo aortic aneurysm patients, where the surgeons believed that long-term patient outcomes would be improved with the addition of radial fixation of the endograft with the EndoStaple.
Jean-Paul de Vries, head of vascular surgery at St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, performed the first case. “With the introduction of the Aptus EndoStapling System, proximal fixation of an endograft will be significantly improved,” said de Vries. “Its use has a strong potential to decrease the need for post-EVAR follow-up substantially.”
The innovative helical staple technology enables independent endograft fixation, and is designed to approximate suturing in an open surgical anastomosis.
“The EndoStapling System performed wonderfully,” said Eric Verhoeven, chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Klinikum Nürnberg Süd, Nuremberg, Germany, one of the subsequent users of the Aptus device. “In unfriendly anatomy, I was able to staple a proximal cuff to repair a type I endoleak of an endograft that had tilted.”
The company’s achievement supports the success experienced with the EndoStapling System in the US, according to company CEO Jeff Elkins. “Completing our first cases in Europe marks a significant milestone for Aptus Endosystems. The novel concept of independent and physician controlled proximal fixation using the EndoStapling System is a considerable step toward preventing long term complications and making EVAR the definitive solution in treating aortic aneurysms.”
