Health Care Professional View
Ethicon is partnering with healthcare leaders worldwide,
developing innovative solutions aimed at boosting
long-term survival rates for lung cancer patients.
Shaping the Future of Surgery
Delivering Meaningful Innovation
Committed to improving access to life-changing obesity treatment and putting the most appropriate surgical tools in surgeons hands.
Transforming Business Models
Committed to evidence and advancing surgical care to improve clinical and economic outcomes in Thoracic surgery.
Responding with a caring spirit
Supporting medical relief projects, natural disaster response teams and basic healthcare needs in underserved communities.
At Ethicon, weʼre focused on improving health outcomes for patients and helping solve the greatest health challenges… with only meaningful innovation. The kind that led to the creation of the first sutures, that helped revolutionize surgery with minimally invasive procedures, and that elevates standards of care around the world.
1887 — Sterile Sutures
Johnson & Johnson’s mass production of sterile sutures and other products ushered in the widespread practice of modern antiseptic surgery that dramatically raised survival rates.
1960 — SURGICEL Original
SURGICEL made history as the first oxidized regenerated cellulose hemostat introducing new options for clinicians to manage surgical bleeding.
1969 — PROLENE Polypropylene Suture
The first synthetic sterile suture, PROLENE Polypropylene Suture remains the gold standard for cardiac bypass surgery for its strength, secure knotting and biocompatibility.
1978 — PROXIMATE Disposable Skin Stapler
This game-changing skin stapler introduced disposable instruments to the OR. The success of disposable PROXIMATE opened the door to new innovations for open and minimally invasive procedures.
1979 — Coated VICRYL (polyglactin 910) Suture
Used by surgeons around the world today for general surgery use, Coated VICRYL (polyglactin 910) Suture balances the surgeon’s need for slide with knot security in achieving reliable approximation and closure.
1988 —Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
First Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and development of Minimally Invasive solutions
1993 — Ethicon Endo-Surgery
Founded in Ohio, Ethicon Endo-Surgery brought surgical technologies and solutions including staplers, energy devices and trocars.
1995 — Telesurgery
Our pioneering live telesurgery, Dr. J. Barry McKernan performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the American College of Surgeons’ annual meeting introduced clinicians to the possibilities of distance learning.
1998 — DERMABOND Topical Skin Adhesive
DERMABOND Topical Skin Adhesive paved the way for replacing sutures with a new generation of skin closure solutions.1
1998 — HARMONIC Shears
Our launch of the first 5mm HARMONIC shears allowed surgeons to dissect, cut and coagulate with one ultrasonic energy device that could also reduce thermal damage and preserve tissue function.
2000 — Fighting Obesity
Committed to shaping the future of surgery in the fight against obesity and metabolic diseases and helping to elevate the standard of care through research and evidence, best-in-class education and training, innovative products and expanding patient access to care.
2003 — PLUS Sutures
The first commercially available antibacterial suture, Coated VICRYL Plus Antibacterial (polyglactin 910) Suture broke new ground in addressing a known risk factor for surgical-site infections (SSI) by preventing bacterial colonization of the suture.
2011 — ECHELON FLEX Powered ENDOPATH Stapler
The first powered endocutter with system-wide compression and stability helped to fuel the revolution to minimally invasive approaches. Virtually effortless firing reduces unwanted movement of distal tip, potentially reducing damage to target and surrounding tissue and organs compared to manual stapler firings.1,*
2015 — VERB Surgical Partnership
Verb Surgical, founded in 2015, is developing a digital surgery platform built with technology from Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. Verb’s platform will include robotics, visualization, advanced instrumentation, data analytics, and connectivity.
2016 — NEUWAVE Medical Acquisition
Ethicon acquires NeuWave Medical, Inc., a company that manufactures and markets minimally invasive soft-tissue microwave ablation systems. This acquisition is consistent with the strategy of advancing innovation and investing in areas of unmet medical needs such as surgical oncology.
2017 — MEGADYNE Acquisition
The acquisition of Megadyne’s innovative portfolio of electrosurgical tools represents a major step forward in Ethicon’s goal to deliver the most comprehensive suite of intelligent energy solutions that enhance precision and efficiency in the operating room.
Take Greater Control
Now supported by a World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline
Suture selection provides an important opportunity to address a known risk factor for infection - bacterial colonization of the suture.
The panel suggests the use of triclosan-coated sutures for the purpose of reducing the risk of SSI, independent of the type of surgery.1,*
SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Haemostat
Built to stop continuous, broad-surface oozing*fast**,2-5
CONTOUR Curved Cutter Stapler
The CONTOUR Curved Cutter Stapler features one-handed firing, pin-placement, and closure.#,6
MEGADYNE Smoke Evacuators
Designed to protect you and your patients from the hazards of surgical smoke.
STRATAFIX Spiral Knotless Tissue Control Device
STRATAFIX Spiral Knotless Tissue Control Devices provide the wound-holding strength of interrupted suturing, with greater security and efficiency than continuous suturing.7-16 In pre-clinical studies, STRATAFIX Spiral Knotless Tissue Control Devices maintained tissue-edge approximation under tension even after 2 cuts to the device.17
DERMABOND PRINEO Skin Closure System
DERMABOND PRINEO Skin Closure System provides a flexible microbial barrier with 99% protection in vitro for 72 hours against organisms commonly responsible for SSIs.18,† DERMABOND PRINEO Skin Closure System was shown to provide statistically significant greater skin holding strength than skin staples or subcuticular 4-0 MONOCRYL (poliglecaprone 25) suture.19,‡
* Continuous oozing defined as bleeding that will not stop with compression / simple packing
** TTH study of Surgicel powder show average time to haemostasis of 30 seconds and is ready to use out of the package with no preparation required.
# Ethicon, 051631-160419, CONTOUR Curved Cutter Stapler, Internal Document (C1347), Data on File
† Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecium.
‡ In an ex-vivo study, more load in N was required to create a 3 ±1 mm gap between skin edges approximated with DERMABOND PRINEO System, than with subcuticular 4-0 MONOCRYL Suture or PROXIMATE ETHICON ENDO SURGERY skin staples (p=0.00).
1. Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection. World Health Organization; 2016. Available from http://www.who.int/gpsc/ssi-guidelines/en/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
2. Ethicon, PSE Accession No. 15-0061, Project No. 16438, Pivotal Study Comparing Performance of SURGICEL Powder – Absorbable Hemostatic Particles to SURGICEL Original Absorbable Hemostat in a Swine Acute Liver Abrasion Model, August 2015, Data on File.
3. Ethicon, PSE Accession No. 16-0006, Project No. 16438, Study Comparing Performance of SURGICEL Powder – Absorbable Hemostatic Particles to SURGICEL Original Absorbable Hemostat in a Swine Acute Liver Abrasion Model, March 2016, Data on File.
4. SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Hemostat, Instructions for Use. Ethicon, Inc.
5.Ethicon, K-5678 Surgicel Endoscopic Applicator Summative Usability Design Validation Surgeon and Nurse Study, December 2016, Data on File.
6. Ethicon Inc, DR000142, 40 mm Curved Cutter Stapler Design Verification Matrix-DR000142, Dec 2012, Data on File.
7. Ethicon, 100326296: Time Zero Tissue Holding - Competitive Claims Comparisons for STRATAFIX Knotless Tissue Control Devices vs Various Products. Data on File. May 2015.
8. Ethicon, AST-2012-0331. Tissue gapping under tension of porcine cadaveric skin incisions closed with Stratafix Spiral in comparison to Monocryl in both interrupted and continuous stitching patterns. Data on File. Aug 2012.
9. Ethicon, AST-2013-0056. Performance Testing of STRATAFIX Symmetric PDSSize2-0 suture device for Tissue Holding Strength with Multiple Incision Defects to Measure Gapping. Data on File. April 2013.
10. Ethicon, AST-2012-0510. Performance Evaluation Memo. Performance Testing of STRATAFIX Symmetric Size 2-0 suture device for Tissue Holding Strength with an Incision Defect to Measure Gapping. Data on File. Dec 2012
11. Vakil JJ, O'Reilly MP, Sutter EG, Mears SC, Belkoff SM, Khanuja HS. Knee arthrotomy repair with a continuous barbed suture: a biomechanical study. J Arthroplasty. 2011;26(5):710-713.
12. Eickmann T, Quane E. Total knee arthroplasty closure with barbed sutures. J Knee Surg. 2010;23(3):163-167.
13. Levine BR, Ting N, Della Valle CJ. Use of a barbed suture in the closure of hip and knee arthroplasty wounds. Orthopedics. 2011;34(9):e473-e475. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20110714-35.
14. Moran ME, Marsh C, Perrotti M. Bidirectional-barbed sutured knotless running anastomosis v classic Van Velthoven suturing in a model system. J Endourol. 2007;21(10):1175-1178.
15. Einarsson JI, Chavan NR, Suzuki Y, Jonsdottir G, Vellinga TT, Greenberg JA. Use of bidirectional barbed suture in laparoscopic myomectomy: evaluation of perioperative outcomes, safety, and efficacy. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2011;18(1):92-95.
16. Warner JP, Gutowski KA. Abdominoplasty with progressive tension closure using a barbed suture technique. Aesthet Surg J. 2009;29(3):221-225.
17. Ethicon, AST-2012-0331. Tissue gapping under tension of porcine cadaveric skin incisions closed with Stratafix Spiral in comparison to Monocryl in both interrupted and continuous stitching patterns. Data on File. Aug 2012.
18. Ethicon, Su 06TR071 Study Report for in vitro evaluation of microbial barrier properties of DERMABOND ProTape, December 2006, Data on File.
19. Ethicon, AST-2012-0290: Study to Compare the tissue holding strength of PRINEO™ skin closure system with conventional wound closure techniques, October 2012, Data on File.
