Whipple Procedure: Standard of Care vs. Thunderbeat

As the pancreas is fed by many vessels, it is necessary to use lots of ligatures, clips and sutures for hemostasis after dissection. This dissection technique is very time consuming and requires numerous changes of instruments. The devices the investigators currently have available for use in the operating suite are EnSeal and LigaSure. A new type of surgical scissors that delivers ultrasonically generated frictional heat energy and electrically generated bipolar energy simultaneously, known as the Thunderbeat™ (Olympus, Japan), is now an available alternative for dissection and hemostasis. Thunderbeat™ was provided FDA clearance in March 2012 for use in open, laparoscopic, and endoscopic surgery, or in any procedure in which cutting, vessel ligation (sealing and cutting), coagulation, grasping and dissection is performed. The Thunderbeat™ device provides the first integration of both bipolar and ultrasonic energies delivered simultaneously from a single multi-functional instrument. This integration provides the surgeon the ability to rapidly cut tissue with ultrasonic energy and to create reliable vessel seals with bipolar energy without having to change devices. The current is provided by a special generator and contains a very high capacity with a low voltage. The body's proteins, such as collagen and elastin, are converted so a permanently sealed zone results. As the tissue between the branches is sealed, lateral thermic tissue damages can be limited to a minimum. Several authors have described a tendency of reduced intraoperative blood loss with bipolar energy devices. Other trials show reduced operating time when a bipolar device is utilized in several surgical procedures, such as thyroid, hepatic, urologic, hemorrhoidectomy and gynecology surgery. Correct dissection in the operating field is very important to avert secondary bleeding or other complications, which might cause re-operation or elevate the patients' morbidity and mortality.