Seamguard Buttressing of the Staple Line During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Appears to Decrease the Incidence of Postoperative Bleeding, Leaks, and Reoperations. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Non-Randomized Comparative Studies

Abstract

Leaks and bleeding are major acute postoperative complications following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Various staple line reinforcement (SLR) methods have been invented such as oversewing/suturing (OS/S), omentopexy/gastropexy (OP/GP), gluing, and buttressing. However, many surgeons do not use any type of reinforcement. On the other hand, surgeons who use a reinforcement method are often confused of what kind of reinforcement they should use. No robust and high-quality data supports the use of one reinforcement over the other or even supports the use of reinforcement over no-reinforcement. Therefore, SLR is a controversial topic that is worth our focus. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of LSG with versus without Seamguard buttressing of the staple line during LSG.

Keywords: Absorbable polymer membrane; Buttress; Gore; Polyglycolic acid; Seamguard; Sleeve gastrectomy; Staple line reinforcement; Trimethylene carbonate.