Company News
04/02/2008
Oral presentations to be made at SAGES and World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery
The abstract, "The Use of a Multiple Instrument Guide to Facilitate LCBDE; Report on 126 Cases" by Donald E. Wenner MD, James C. Rosser MD, Paul R. Whitwam MD, David M. Turner MD, Richard Vazquez MD, and Jason M. Degani MSIV will be presented on April 12th 2008 from 4-5 PM at the spring SAGES
meeting in Philadelphia, PA. It will also be presented in Yokohama, Japan at the 11th World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery from September 2-5, 2008.
04/10/2007
Dr. Wenner to teach at SAGES Master's Common Bile Duct Course
Dr. Wenner will be making an oral presentation at this year's annual SAGES conference in Las Vegas, NV from April 18-21, 2007 as part of the SAGES Master's Common Bile Duct hands-on course and will additionally help instruct surgeons in the use of the Multiple Instrument Guide as a course instructor. His presentation will be entitled "Management of common bile duct stones: How to get it done in the community setting."
Additionally, Dr. Wenner will present his poster "Use of Multiple Instrument Guide with 2.8mm Choledochoscope to Remediate Bile Duct Stones" will be presented by Donald E. Wenner MD. The poster "LCBDE Less Risky to Pancreas than ERCP" will be presented by Jason Degani MSII.
01/30/2006
Journal article by Dr. Wenner to be published in the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
The scientific paper, Outpatient LC and Management of Biliary Tract Stones in a Free Standing ASC has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (JSLS). The paper looks at the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) performed in an ambulatory setting. The paper also addresses the occurrence of common bile duct stones during outpatient surgery and demonstrates that this problem can be effectively remedied in an outpatient setting.
12/15/2005
Dr. Wenner wins Poster of Distinction award from the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association
The poster presentation, LCBDE using 2.8mm Choledochoscope is Not Associated with Pancreatitis Risk has won a Poster of Distinction award from the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA). THe poster will be presented at its annual meeting March 9-12 in Miami, Fl.
07/15/2005
Journal article by Dr. Donald Wenner published in July 2005 edition of the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
The scientific article, Actual Time Required for Dynamic Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Cholangiography, has been published in the July 2005 edition of the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, a publication of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS). Citation info: JSLS(2005) 9:174-177
05/14/2005
Dr. Donald Wenner wins the New Mexico Tech Alumni Association's Distinguished Achievement Award
The following is a transcript of the award announcement, given at the award presentation on May 14, 2005.
Donald Wenner graduated from New Mexico Tech in 1975, with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He went on to earn his M.D. at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He did his internship and residency at the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, where he rose to Chief of General Surgery.
In 1985 he returned to his hometown of Roswell, where he is now a surgeon with the Eastern New Mexico Medical Center and the Center for Ambulatory Surgery and Endoscopy.
In addition to being a busy surgeon, Don has contributed to his profession, and to the general well-being of us all, by developing new and better methods of surgery. Most notably, he has invented and patented a laproscopic instrument for bile duct exploration and stone removal. The instrument has dramatically reduced the rate of damage during bile duct exploration, resulting both in better recovery for patients and in reduced costs.
Donald Wenner is co-founder of a company called LapSurgical Systems, LLC, which produces the device, and he is currently working on the development of another laparoscopic instrument, the Endostonetrap, to prevent the loss of stones from the gallbladder into the free peritoneal space. A patent for this device is pending.
Over and above his work as a surgeon and inventor, Dr. Wenner has been active in encouraging young people to enter the medical profession in general and surgery in particular. He is a regular participant in the Roswell School District's "Super Day," a career enrichment program, where he sets up stations at which fifth and sixth graders try their hands at simulated laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Wenner also mentors high school juniors and seniors who are thinking about going into the profession of medicine. He involves these students in all aspects of the profession. Several of his students have gone on to medical school, and one is now doing his surgical residency at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. In addition he is a volunteer faculty member for students in UNM School of Medicine and residency programs who do rotations in Roswell.
In addition to all this, Don Wenner has contributed to the well-being of New Mexico Tech by sending several family members here. His oldest son, Donald III, graduated last year with a degree in chemistry and is now a student at UNM Medical School. His second son, Nathan, is currently a junior in biology here at Tech. His youngest son, Theodore has also been accepted to Tech and will be a member of the freshman class in the Fall 2005. Don's wife, Laurie, earned her bachelor's degree in biology here. Daughter, Andrea chose to go to Texas Christian University.
Donald Wenner, on behalf of the New Mexico Tech Alumni Association, I would like to present you with the Distinguished Achievement Award of 2005
01/15/2005
Journal article by Dr. Donald Wenner published in January edition of Surgical Endoscopy
The scientific article, A Stone Extraction Facilitation Device to Achieve an Improved Technique for Performing LCBDE, has been published in the January 2005 edition of Surgical Endoscopy, a publication of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeon (SAGES).
10/01/2004
Dr. Donald Wenner presents at Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
Dr. Wenner of Roswell presented a scientific paper to the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons in New York City on September 30, 2004. The paper was titled, "Outpatient Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Management of Biliary Tract Stones." In this paper Drs. Wenner, Whitwam and Turner reviewed a four year experience covering 338 elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures performed at the Center for Ambulatory Surgery and Endoscopy of Southeast New Mexico. The purpose of the study was to document the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a free standing ambulatory center, to attempt to identify any reasons why Medicare does not allow this procedure to be performed at a free standing ambulatory center (no medical basis for this decision by Medicare could be identified), and to demonstrate the feasibility of clearing stones from the bile duct using laparoscopic techniques on an outpatient basis. Clearance of stones from the bile duct at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy avoids hospitalization and a second procedure known as ERCP with its associated risk of pancreatitis.
Highlights from this paper included a 0% rate of injury to the bile duct, a 0.9% rate of hospitalization after the outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy for all reasons, 0% conversion to open cholecystectomy, a 2% incidence of bile duct stones discovered during surgery, all of which were managed via laparoscopic clearance of the bile duct, and a 0% mortality rate. Dynamic Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Cholangiography (an X-ray of the bile ducts to elucidate the anatomy and to look for bile duct stones) was successfully completed in 90% of the cases. This X-ray dye study of the biliary tract has been associated with a 50-70 fold reduced risk of bile duct injuries in several previous studies, yet incredibly 60% of surgeons performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy do not take the time to perform this safety enhancing procedure.
Drs. Wenner, Whitwam and Turner have presented a previous paper to the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons demonstrating in 52 consecutive patients that the Dynamic Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Cholangiogram adds only a mean time of four minutes to the laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure. That paper received an award for Best General Surgery Paper at the SLS meeting in Las Vegas in 2003.
05/10/2004
Donald Wenner, MD to present at the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
Donald Wenner, MD, inventor of the Multiple Instrument Guide (MIG) will be presenting twice at this year's meeting of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS). The SLS 13th International Congress and Endo Expo 2004 will take place from September 29, 2004 through October 2, 2004 in New York, NY.
SLS is a non-profit, multidisciplinary and multispecialty educational organization established to provide an open forum for surgeons and other health professionals interested in laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. SLS makes information available from national and international experts through its publications, videos, conferences, and other electronic media.
Dr. Wenner will be presenting an open forum entitled, Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy at a Free Standing Ambulatory Surgery Center.
Dr. Wenner will also be presenting a video entitled, Technique for Laparoscopic Removal of Impacted Bile Duct Stones. This video demonstrates the procedure that Dr. Wenner has developed for using the Multiple Instrument Guide for laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.
05/05/2004
Donald Wenner, MD to present at the American College of Surgeons
Donald Wenner, MD will be presenting at the 90th annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA from October 10, 2004 through October 14, 2004.
Dr. Wenner will be presenting his poster, entitled Laparoscopic Approach to Difficult Cases of Choledocholithiasis Using Multi-Channel Instrument Guide. This poster details the many benefits associated with using a multi-channel instrument guide in the treatment of choledocholithiasis and performance of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.
04/03/2004
Company Attends AORN and SAGES Meetings
LapSurgical Systems, LLC, a Roswell-based surgical tool company attended the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) 51st Congress in San Diego, CA, March 23-25, 2004 and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeon (SAGES) 2004 Scientific Session in Denver, CO, March 31-April 3, 2004.
The company's first laparoscopic instrument, the "MIG", aka the Multiple Instrument Guide is a J-shaped three lumen laparoscopic introducer tool which aids in removal of stones from the common bile duct (CBD). Stones are found in the CBD in about 10% of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder). The MIG guides a 2.8mm choledochoscope (flexible video optic system) into either the cystic duct or common bile duct during laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE). The MIG protects the choledochoscope and offers LCBDE procedural enhancements by providing the surgeon with two additional 5 Fr. working channels through which stone baskets, irrigation or balloon catheters are easily manipulated into the bile duct.
Nurses at AORN were especially interested in the cost-savings of using the MIG to protect the delicate choledochoscope from damage. A brand new choledochoscope costs $12,000 with a typical repair for a choledochoscope being $6,000. The MIG is cheap insurance selling for $488 for a 4-pack.
During the SAGES convention Dr.'s Wenner, Whitwam, Turner, Hashmi, James Rosser of Beth Israel in New York City and Donald E. Wenner, III presented a poster entitled A Stone Extraction Device to Achieve an Improved Technique for Performing LCBDE. This scientific poster was well received and is being picked up nationally by General Surgery News.
10/03/03
Company Receives Honorable Mention at Product Launch
LapSurgical Systems LLC, a Roswell-based surgical tool company, returned on September 25th from their product launch at the 12th International Congress and Endo Expo 2003 for the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) conference in Las Vegas, NV.
The company's first laparoscopic instrument, the "MIG", aka the Multiple Instrument Guide, was awarded an Honorable Mention for Innovation of the Year in the Gastro-Intestinal Category, by the Society. Dr. Donald E. Wenner and Mr. George Scott III, co-inventors of the MIG, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Dr. Wenner also presented the paper, Actual Time Required for Dynamic Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Cholangiography, which was co-authored by Drs. Wenner, Whitwam, Turner and Weber State Radiology PA student, Kathy Kennedy. The paper was awarded the Best General Surgery Scientific Paper for the SLS Conference.
LapSurgical Systems presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2003, last week in Chicago, IL, with great success. ACS had approximately 11,000 surgeons from around the world in attendance. Interest in the MIG is growing domestically, as well as internationally.
Dr. Wenner will be presenting his "MIG-Enhanced LCBDE" technique at the University of New Mexico's Grand Rounds on November 7th 2003 at 7am. The doctor has also been invited to participate in the 12th Annual Rocky Mountain Advanced Laparoscopy Symposium in Vail, CO in February 2004.
The next conference for LapSurgical Systems will be in March of 2004 at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Congress in San Diego.
10/03/03
Roswell Surgeons Receive Award
Kathy Kennedy, a radiology technician at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center, and Roswell surgeons, Drs. Wenner, Whitwam, and Turner were awarded Best General Surgery Paper at the just completed Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on 9/24/03. Their paper was entitled Actual Time Required for Dynamic Fluoroscopic Intra-operative Cholangiography (DFIOC). They showed that the inclusion of DFIOC to laparoscopic cholecystectomy (laparoscopic removal of the gall bladder) added only four minutes to the operative procedure. This topic is especially meaningful at this time, as an April 2, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article reviewing 1.5 million laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures in the US found that the omission of routine intra-operative cholangiogram from the laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure resulted in a 50 - 70% increase in the rate of bile duct injury. Thus the addition of only four minutes to the operative procedure benefits patients in that their procedure is made significantly safer.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common major operation performed in the US with 800,000 cases per year. Anatomic variation in biliary tract anatomy is very common, occurring in up to 20% of patients. The cholangiogram helps the surgeon to define the anatomy before irreversible mistakes are made.
The message to patients needing cholecystectomy is clear. Patients need to enquire if their surgeon includes routine cholangiography in their procedures. At the present time up to 60% of surgeons have stopped routine cholangiography, and are instead relying on pre-operative ERCP, a procedure that carries a 10% risk of pancreatitis, a 1% mortality rate, and has negative findings in 60% of patients on whom it is performed. The complication rate from DFIOC in their series was 0%.
11/29/02
FDA Clearance Received
LapSurgical Systems, LLC of Roswell, New Mexico announced that FDA clearance for marketing was received for a novel surgical instrument, the Multiple Instrument Guide (MIG), which is a laparoscopic access instrument that facilitates access of fiber optic scopes and surgical tools into the bile duct during Laparoscopic Commmon Bile Duct Exploration (LCBDE) procedures.
Stone blockage of the bile duct, a condition known as choledocholithiasis, is a common and serious health hazard. When untreated, this disease may result in liver damage, jaundice, and death. Stone extraction is commonly performed via surgery, or otherwise by Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP), an endoscopic "non-surgical" technique that is associated with risk of pancreatitis and patient mortality.
Invention of the MIG was accomplished by a Roswell surgeon, Donald Wenner, M.D., after years of frustration with the available surgical instrumentation. The MIG is a flexible, J-shaped device that includes three channels to provide the laparoscopic surgeon with a means for easier insertion of fiber optic scopes and other instruments for exploration of the bile duct. The MIG enables surgeons to remove diseased gall bladders, explore the bile duct, and to remove stones (if present) in a single LCBDE operation. The MIG's largest channel provides access for the fragile and expensive fiber optic scope that is otherwise often damaged during the LCBDE procedure. Dr. Wenner states, "A MIG-assisted minimally-invasive procedure provides the patient significant benefits in terms of safety and relative cost in comparison to other procedures for exploration of the bile duct such as ERCP or open surgery. MIG-enhanced laparoscopic procedures for bile duct exploration should ultimately develop into the gold standard for treatment."
