一種新型縫合設備可以防止縫合針傷及外科醫生和手術室工作人員。

縫合針損傷的最常見原因是筋膜縫合，這是在大多數外科手術中必須縫合皮膚下面的一層。這在所有報道的手術損傷中占據59%。

360o筋膜縫合設備已經獲得了美國食品藥品管理局的許可。這種獲得保護的設備可以防止縫合針損傷，將縫合針的尖端一直處于無菌的一次性縫合針筒之中，絕不會暴露出來。因此，手和手指在手術之前、之中和之后都不會暴露于縫合針的尖端。縫合方法比費時費力的手工縫合更加快速簡單和安全。這種縫合設備是SuturTek (North Chelmsford, MA, USA)公司的產品。

在美國和歐洲這種筋膜縫合設備已經在各種手術中得到了廣泛應用，包括腹部手術、剖腹產、經腹部子宮切除、和脊柱手術。

“我們360o筋膜縫合設備的最關鍵之處，就是保護外科醫生、護士和手術室工作人員免于縫合針的傷害，這點從Johns Hopkins [Baltimore, MD, USA]的一項近期研究中可以得到佐證，他們報道40%的城市外科手術患者感染一些致命的疾病，例如肝炎或者HIV/AIDS,” SuturTek公司的總裁兼首席執行官Gerald Brecher指出，“外科醫生告訴我們，這種產品不僅安全，而且快速，易于操作，能夠確保高質量的臨床預后。”

Closure Device Prevents Injuries
 
A new closure device is designed to prevent suture needlestick injuries to surgeons and operating room (OR) staff.

The most common cause of suture needlestick injury is fascia closure, closure of the underlying layer below the skin that must be closed at the conclusion of most major surgical procedures. This accounts for 59% of all reported sharps injuries in the OR.

The 360o Fascia Closure Device has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The patented device protects against suture needlestick injuries by ensuring that the sharp point of the suture needle--contained within a sterile, disposable suture cartridge at all times--is never exposed. Therefore, hands and fingers are not exposed to the sharp point of the needle before, during, or after the procedure. Closure is faster, easier, and safer for surgeons than tedious and difficult hand-suturing. The closure device is the product of SuturTek (North Chelmsford, MA, USA).

The Fascia Closure Device has been used in a wide variety of surgical procedures in the United States and Europe, including abdominal surgeries, cesarian deliveries, abdominal hysterectomies, and spinal surgery.

“The critical importance of our 360o Fascia Closure Device, that protects surgeons, nurses, and OR staff against needlesticks, is underscored by a recent study from Johns Hopkins [Baltimore, MD, USA] reporting that almost 40% of urban surgery patients are infected with deadly diseases such as hepatitis or HIV/AIDS,” noted Gerald Brecher, president and CEO of SuturTek. “And surgeons tell us that our device is not only safe, but it’s also fast, easy to use, and delivers high quality clinical results.”