Invuity, an advanced medical technology company, announced the results of a company-sponsored retrospective analysis performed by leading surgeons and validated by an outside healthcare consulting firm.
The study demonstrated clear clinical and economic benefits for the use of the company’s Eikon illuminated retractor system with integrated Intelligent Photonics during Nipple Sparing Mastectomies (NSM), an advanced surgical approach to breast cancer surgery.
The chart review study is the first in a series of planned analyses designed to determine if enhanced intracavity illumination and visualization can help improve patient outcomes while also reducing anesthesia and operating room times and overall procedural cost.
A previously conducted breast surgeon thought leader survey indicated that the Eikon illuminated retractor system with Invuity’s integrated Intelligent Photonics reduced surgical challenges and potential complications of NSM.
To further validate and quantify the results from the prior survey, a participating breast center and hospital conducted a chart review to determine if reductions in anesthesia time or complications could be achieved upon transitioning to the Eikon system.
The retrospective chart review assessed NSMs followed by breast reconstructions performed by breast surgical oncologist Beth DuPree, MD, FACS, Holy Redeemer Health System (Meadowbrook, PA) and by plastic surgeon William Scarlett, DO, FACS, FACOS, FAACS, Bucks County Aesthetic Center (Bensalem, PA) prior to and after adopting the Eikon system.
The results suggest the introduction of the Eikon system improved surgical efficiency and safety, and reduced complications for patients, as well as contributing to better economic outcomes for the hospital:
Anesthesia time was reduced by an average of 31 minutes (10 percent) in bilateral NSM cases.
Overall complication rates decreased, including a statistically significant 70 percent reduction of epidermolysis (blistering or pealing of the skin or nipple-partial thickness).
Overall potential cost savings associated with using the Eikon system were estimated to be between $580 and $2,000.
"We are pleased with these positive results, which show there are tangible and significant benefits to both patients and hospitals from the use of our Intelligent Photonics technology during advanced surgical procedures," said Invuity CEO Philip Sawyer.