Glycolide Copolymer Staple-Line Reinforcement Reduces Staple Site Bleeding During Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Hypothesis:The use of staple-line reinforcement sleeves during laparoscopic gastric bypass reduces staple-line bleeding, which may translate into a reduction in the rate of gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Design: Prospective randomized trial. Setting: University hospitalPatients and Interventions: Thirty-four patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass were randomly assigned to receive either no reinforcement (control group, n=17) or reinforcement of the staple line with glycolic copolymer sleeves (treatment group, n = 17).Main Outcome Measures: Demographic data, the number of stapler loads used, the number of staple-line bleeding sites, the amount of blood loss, the length of time required to obtain hemostasis of the staple lines, operative time, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and serial hemoglobin levels. Results:The mean number of stapler loads used was similar between groups.The mean number of staple-line bleed-