Can stapled anastomosis in visceral surgery still be justified: a prospective controlled randomized study of the cost-effectiveness of hand-sewn and stapled anastomoses

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. Although stapled anastomoses were performed significantly faster (p<0.001), the cost of material for those anastomoses was significantly higher (p<0.001), resulting in significantly higher total cost for reconstruction. The time saving for the reconstruction did not influence the total operative time (except for stapled gastrectomy). As a result, stapled anastomoses should be reserved for individual indications.