Teleflex TFX recently announced the publication of a new retrospective analysis of clinical data linking the Titan SGS Stapler with enhanced clinical outcomes and significant procedural efficiency benefits compared with multi-fire surgical staplers in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).
The study was conducted by five surgeons at Corewell Health Hospital in Grand Rapids.
Details of the Study
This publication provides retrospective observational data from the largest comparative case series of sleeve gastrectomy patients treated with the Titan SGSTM Stapler to date. The data set comprises 3,829 patients treated with multi-fire staplers and 807 patients treated with the second-generation Titan SGSTM Stapler during LSG procedures.
An attempt was made to account for the notable variations in predicting characteristics between the two study groups using a propensity-matching technique. Each group, as a consequence, had 783 patients. As a single-site study, the surgical approach within each cohort was similar. One notable difference is that no buttressing material was used in any of the procedures performed with the Titan SGS Stapler, while buttressing material was used for every multi-fire staple firing.
More on the Study Outcomes
The key and short-term outcomes of the conducted study included improved procedural efficiency. Outcomes showcased that the median operative time for the Titan SGS Stapler was eight minutes less than multi-fire staplers (p<0.01). Patients were more likely to be discharged within 24 hours of surgery when LSG was performed using the Titan SGS Stapler (702, 89.6%) as compared with multi-fire staplers (509, 65.0%).
Per the study outcomes, there were fewer 30-day readmissions, especially those related to nausea and vomiting, in the Titan SGS Stapler cohort (13, 1.7%) compared with the multi-fire cohort (35, 4.5%) (p<0.01).
Also, a trend could be observed toward a reduction in reoperations (3, 0.4%) and leaks by 30 days (0, 0.0%) in the Titan SGS Stapler cohort compared with the multi-fire cohort (8, 1.0% and 4, 0.5%, respectively). Although the trend did not reach statistical significance (p=0.13 and p<0.02, respectively).
It was also observed that the rate of post-operative bleeds within 72 hours was similar between the Titan SGS Stapler (5, 0.6%) and multi-fire cohorts (4, 0.5%) (p=0.74).
There were no leaks, strictures, or post-operative interventions reported in the Titan SGS Stapler cohort. No post-operative port site hernias, or instrument misfires, or malfunctions have been encountered to date in the Titan SGS Stapler cohort.
Additional retrospective analyses of data from LSG procedures performed using the Titan SGS Stapler compared with multi-fire staplers are ongoing, and the results of these studies are expected to be published in the future.
More on the Titan SGS Stapler & Its Benefits
The Titan SGS Stapler is the only single-fire surgical stapler approved by the FDA for use in creating sleeve gastrectomy pouches. The Titan SGS Stapler is the only stapler that offers a 23 cm staple line, the longest continuous staple cutline in the industry. This avoids the possibility of overlapping staple lines, which is known to increase the risk of leaks.
LSG is an effective approach for the long-term management of obesity that is not widely utilized. The main concerns of patients receiving LSG are related to side effects, length of stay in the hospital and the possibility of needing readmission or another surgery, all of which prevent LSG from being widely used.
The study may help resolve many of the concerns, which demonstrates that, when compared with multi-fire staplers, using the Titan SGS Stapler's streamlined and effective stapling process was linked to decreased nausea and vomiting, fewer 30-day readmissions and a higher chance of discharge within 24 hours after surgery.
Industry Prospects
Per a report by Market Research Future, the global bariatric surgery market size was valued at $1.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a rate of 9.1% to reach beyond $3.82 billion by 2032.
The increasing incidence of obesity among adults due to changing lifestyle habits and excess calorie intake is the primary driver for the bariatric surgery devices market. Furthermore, government support and increasing awareness about unhealthy foods and beverages in the market and their impact on BMI are expected to increase the demand for bariatric surgery over the forecast period.
Notable Developments
In July, Teleflex announced the FDA 510(k) clearance of the Ringer Perfusion Balloon Catheter (PBC), the only commercially available Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) perfusion balloon.
The Ringer PBC is indicated for balloon dilatation of coronary artery or coronary bypass graft stenoses where the physician desires distal blood perfusion during balloon inflation for the purpose of improving myocardial perfusion. In addition, during PTCA, the lumen serves as a passage for the delivery of secondary devices, creating new opportunities for procedural innovation.
Price Performance
For the year-to-date period, TFX shares have lost 2.2% against the industry’s growth of 9.5%. The S&P 500 increased 18.2% in the same time frame.
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Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider
TFX carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.
Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Universal Health Service UHS, Quest Diagnostics DGX and ABM Industries ABM. While Universal Health Service sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Quest Diagnostics and ABM Industries carry a Zacks Rank #2 each at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Universal Health Service has an estimated long-term growth rate of 19%. UHS’ earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average being 14.58%.
Universal Health Service has gained 41.1% compared with the industry's 34.8% growth so far this year.
Quest Diagnostics has an estimated long-term growth rate of 6.20%. DGX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 3.31%.
Quest Diagnostics’ shares have gained 3.7% so far this year compared with the industry’s 10.2% growth.
ABM Industries’ earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 7.34%.
ABM's shares have risen 24.1% so far this year compared with the industry’s 11.9% growth.
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