Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH

The instruments functions simplify open surgical procedures because it can grasp, seal electrosurgically, and mechanically dissected in a single workflow.

In an initial international test of user acceptance, many users evaluated closing of vessels with BiClamp® knife 220 as “fast and safe“.

“Time is money” is increasingly becoming the guiding principle of hospitals also during surgical treatment. Compared to interventions without electrosurgical sealing, the operating time is reduced.

Fast and safe sealing is a key requirement of a sealing instrument. Erbe's new instrument performed very well in this field, and in an international user acceptance test the great majority of physicians (95 %) stated that BiClamp® 220 performs equal or better in regards to coagulation of tissue as well as it's thermal spread compared to other instruments. 89 % stated that vessel sealing is similar or better.

“Plug and operate” is another aspect of high usability. Digital instrument recognition configures the whole system automatically, including the BiClamp® knife 220 and the electrosurgical unit VIO® 3. The constant voltage control ensures that the tissue effect is reliable, reproducible, and homogeneous.

The surgeon can seal vessels up to 7 mm in diameter, the vessel sealing withstand high burst pressure with a short sealing time. The instrument maintains the same reproducible quality of vessel sealing during repeated cycles of activation.

Another advantage is that the surgeon can dissect close to critical structures, due to the minimal thermal spread of Working with BiClamp® knife 220 makes high precision surgery possible. This means that more than three-quarters (78 %) of users are satisfied or very satisfied with the performance of the BiClamp® knife 220.

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The new single-use cryoprobes offer consistent cryogenic effects, thereby standardizing cryoextraction and cryodevitalization. An additional advantage is that the thinnest of the new cryoprobes has a diameter of 1.1 mm, allowing biopsy material to be removed via the working channel of a bronchoscope using an oversheath. In order to do this, the bronchoscope no longer needs to be withdrawn from the target area. Together with the ERBECRYO® 2 cryosurgical unit, three new cryoprobes facilitate user convenience and improve the clinical performance of flexible cryotechnology in pulmonology.

Consistent tissue effects

The ERBECRYO® 2 cryosystem was developed according to the latest requirements of interventional pulmonology – based on decades of experience in cryosurgery and cryotherapy. Cryoextraction makes it possible to remove not only foreign bodies, but also mucus plugs, blood clots, necrotic tissue, tissue tumors (recanalization) and biopsy material. With cryodevitalization, tissue can be destroyed by extreme cold.Together with the new cryoprobes, the ERBECRYO® 2 cryosurgical unit is the next generation of cryosurgical systems from Erbe. The single-use cryoprobes allow the user to achieve consistent tissue effects.

The cryogenic performance is dependent on the optimum quantity of CO2 flowing through the probe. The flow control feature of the ERBECRYO® 2 supplies the cryoprobe with the exact amount of CO2 needed for maximum freezing performance – and does so for each of the different probe sizes.This results in reproducible, i.e. consistent, freezing effects when extracting or devitalizing the target tissue.

Cryoextraction with oversheath
The new 1.1-mm probe and the oversheath make it possible to leave the bronchoscope inserted at the target area for cryobiopsies or cryoextractions. This enables continuous monitoring. The probe and biopsy material pass through the oversheath, which protects the biopsy material, thereby maintaining the high quality of the tissue sample. This allows for shorter response times in complication management, for example in the case of bleeding. Moreover, the probe can be positioned in the target area using X-ray.

This thinnest 1.1-mm cryoprobe, in particular, expands compatibility and permits new applications, such as biopsies by navigation catheter or with small bronchoscopes with a working channel of just 1.2 mm. The fact that the probes do not need to be reprocessed before use saves time and money.

Further reading