Business Wire04.25.16
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) has announced the first successful implant of the Gore Synecor Biomaterial. Karl A. LeBlanc, MD, FACS, used the unique material in a robotically-assisted hernia repair at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, Baton Rouge, La. The Gore Synecor device received FDA approval in December 2015. This new, unique product combines two proven technologies—PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and PGA/TMC (polyglycolic acid/trimethylene carbonate) bioabsorbable material—and offers surgeons a cost-effective, single-stage hernia repair device.
“I think that such a product represents the future in hernia repair,” said Dr. LeBlanc. “The combination of a permanent material with the absorbable portion is intended to increase ingrowth, strengthen the repair, and allow for lower recurrence rates in the process. And, the product handles quite nicely—it has just the right amount of stiffness to make its use with the laparoscope or robot very easy.“
The Gore Synecor device is being evaluated in a clinical quality improvement (CQI) project designed to improve patient care. Hernia repair has traditionally required a surgeon to choose between a permanent material for a durable, single-stage repair, or absorbable, non-permanent materials where there are factors that may require a different approach. Providing a distinct alternative, Gore Synecor Biomaterial is a unique, hybrid device comprised of:
“Our ultimate objective with the CQI program is to evaluate how to make hernia repair using Gore Synecor Biomaterial as successful as possible in regards to both the physician experience and patient outcomes,” said Michael Koenke, General Medical Products Global Leader at Gore. “Even in our first case with Dr. LeBlanc, we have already been able to gain insight and analyze various factors that will lead to better patient outcomes in the immediate future.”
No pre-certification is required for surgeons to implant Gore Synecor Biomaterial. However, Gore provides operating room support and peer-to-peer educational courses for interested surgeons.
“I think that such a product represents the future in hernia repair,” said Dr. LeBlanc. “The combination of a permanent material with the absorbable portion is intended to increase ingrowth, strengthen the repair, and allow for lower recurrence rates in the process. And, the product handles quite nicely—it has just the right amount of stiffness to make its use with the laparoscope or robot very easy.“
The Gore Synecor device is being evaluated in a clinical quality improvement (CQI) project designed to improve patient care. Hernia repair has traditionally required a surgeon to choose between a permanent material for a durable, single-stage repair, or absorbable, non-permanent materials where there are factors that may require a different approach. Providing a distinct alternative, Gore Synecor Biomaterial is a unique, hybrid device comprised of:
- Gore BIO-A Web tissue-building scaffold for rapid vascularity and in-growth
- A macroporous knit of dense, monofilament PTFE fibers that provides optimum strength, and
- A nonporous PGA/TMC film that minimizes tissue attachment to the device on the visceral side.
“Our ultimate objective with the CQI program is to evaluate how to make hernia repair using Gore Synecor Biomaterial as successful as possible in regards to both the physician experience and patient outcomes,” said Michael Koenke, General Medical Products Global Leader at Gore. “Even in our first case with Dr. LeBlanc, we have already been able to gain insight and analyze various factors that will lead to better patient outcomes in the immediate future.”
No pre-certification is required for surgeons to implant Gore Synecor Biomaterial. However, Gore provides operating room support and peer-to-peer educational courses for interested surgeons.