Health Care Professional View
Ethicon Energy is committed to enabling OR safety with smoke evacuation products designed to support a cleaner and clearer work environment. Follow one hospital’s smoke evacuation journey.
Shaping the Future of Surgery
Delivering Meaningful Innovation
Stapler choice matters in reducing complications and improving outcomes without increasing costs.1
Transforming Business Models
Smoke Evacuation Case Study - 7 Keys to a Smoke-Free Operating Room
Responding With a Caring Spirit
Supporting medical relief projects, natural disaster response teams and basic healthcare needs in underserved communities.
Attention Nurse Innovators: J&J Quickfire Challenge
Johnson & Johnson is looking for ideas from nurses to potentially improve human health. Learn more about the J&J Nurses Innovate in Perioperative Care Quickfire Challenge.
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 and set a new standard for managing surgical bleeding.
1969 — PROLENE® Polypropylene Suture
The first synthetic sterile suture, PROLENE® Polypropylene Suture is used in 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
The first FDA-approved topical skin adhesive in the U.S., DERMABOND® Topical Skin Adhesive paved the way for replacing sutures with a new generation of skin closure solutions.18,19
1998 — HARMONIC® Shears
Our launch of the first 5mm HARMONIC® shears allowed surgeons for the first time to dissect, cut and coagulate with one ultrasonic energy device with minimal lateral thermal damage.
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), bacterial colonization of the suture.17
2011 — ECHELON FLEX™ Powered ENDOPATH® Stapler
This first powered endocutter with system-wide compression and stability helped to fuel the revolution to minimally invasive approaches. Less unwanted movement of the tip offered the potential for reduced trauma to vital structures, even in thick tissue and at awkward angles.
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.
Enhance your knowledge of surgical smoke
Ethicon partners with Friends of Flo
More than 500K people are exposed to surgical smoke in the OR each year. Watch our 3-part podcast to understand the risks and how a Michigan hospital’s ORs went smoke-free.
Continuing Education Program on Surgical Smoke
To help in the education and understanding of energy-based devices and their potential hazards, Ethicon offers several courses.
MEGADYNE™ Smoke Evacuation Pencils
Multiple options, including the MEGADYNE™ ZIP-PEN™ Smoke Evacuation Pencil, allow surgeons to remove potentially hazardous electrosurgical smoke and plume.
MEGADYNE™ Smoke Evacuators
Remove surgical smoke from your OR.
MEGADYNE ACE BLADE™ 700 Soft Tissue Dissector
Delivers efficiency and hemostasis with less thermal damage and less hazardous surgical smoke.20
MEGADYNE™ MEGA SOFT™ Universal Plus Reusable Patient Return Electrode
MEGADYNE™ MEGA SOFT™ Reusable Patient Return Electrodes are designed to enhance patient protection.
MEGADYNE™ E-Z CLEAN™ Electrosurgical Electrodes
Designed to improve the OR experience.21
* Benchtop testing in porcine tissue ≤30mmHg (26mmHg average pressure experienced during intra-operative leak test), comparing Ethicon ECHELON CIRCULAR™ Powered Stapler CDH25P to Medtronic DST Series™ EEA™ Stapler EEA2535 (p<0.001) and preclinical perfusion model, in which perfusion was not significantly different between devices.
1. Ethicon retrospective analysis of economic and clinical outcomes comparing the use of Echelon Powered vs. Medtronic non-powered endoscopic surgical staplers to treat patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy. Review of 3,006 cases between 2012 and 2015 from the Premier Perspective® Hospital Database. Data assessed included length of stay, total hospital cost, supply cost, room & board cost, incidence of transfusion, and incidence of hemostasis-related complications; all p ≤ 0.05.
2. Ethicon retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes between Echelon Powered vs. Medtronic non-powered endoscopic surgical staplers among patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy. Review of 1,501 cases between 2012 and 2015 from the Premier Perspective® Hospital Database (4.8% vs. 14.2%;p=0.0098).
3. Ethicon retrospective analysis of economic and clinical outcomes between Echelon Powered vs. Medtronic non-powered endoscopic surgical staplers among patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy. Review of 3,006 cases between 2012 and 2015 from the Premier Perspective® Hospital Database. Length of stay:4.9 vs 5.7 days; p=0.0374, Total hospital cost: $23,785 vs. $26,180; p=0.0078, Supply cost: $5,021 vs. $5,989; p=0.0161, Room & board cost: $6,792 vs. $7,984; p=0.0385, Transfusion: 4.7% vs. 9.3%; p=0.018, Hemostasis-related complications: 8.2% vs. 13.9%; p=0.0218.
4. Ethicon retrospective analysis of outcomes between Echelon Powered vs. Medtronic non-powered endoscopic surgical staplers among patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy. Review of 1,051 cases between 2012 and 2015 from the Premier Perspective® Hospital Database. Hemostasis-related complications: 4.8% vs. 14.2%; p=0.010. Transfusion: 3.0% vs. 9.4%; p=0.023. Total hospital costs: $23,219 vs. $25,207; p=0.242.
5. Berríos-Torres SI, Umscheid CA, Bratzler DW, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017. JAMA Surg. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0904.
6. WHO Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2016.
7. Ban KA, Minei JP, Laronga C, et al. American College of Surgeons and Surgical Infection Society: Surgical Site Infection Guidelines, 2016 Update. J Am Coll Surg. 2016;224:59-74.
8. ENSEAL® X1 Curved Jaw Tissue Sealer can capture, seal and transect a longer length of tissue per single activation due to a 16% (or 3.4mm) longer jaw (p < 0.001), a 40% (or 5.0mm) wider unbiased jaw aperture (p < 0.001) and a 19% (or 3.6mm) longer cut length (p < 0.001) compared to LigaSure™ Maryland (LF1937) (C2841).
9. 100326296: Time Zero Tissue Holding - Competitive Claims Comparisons for STRATAFIX Knotless Tissue Control Devices vs Various Products. 2015.
10. Performance Testing of STRATAFIX SYMMETRIC PDS PLUS Size 0 & 1 Devices – Initiation Strength in Porcine Tissue. AST-2013-0603.
11. AST-2013-0056 Performance Testing of STRATAFIX Symmetric PDSSize2-0 suture device for Tissue Holding Strength with Multiple Incision Defects to Measure Gapping.
12. Ethicon study PSE 09-0204, project number 11822. Exploratory histological and biomechanical evaluation of DOLFIN following closure of the ventral abdominal wall in a porcine model at 7±1 days. Approved on July 7, 2010.
13. Ethicon Performance Evaluation Memo AST-2012-0510. Performance Testing of STRATAFIX Symmetric Size 2-0 suture device for Tissue Holding Strength with an Incision Defect to Measure Gapping. Dated December 3, 2012.
14. STRATAFIX Symmetric PDS Plus Knotless Tissue Control Device. Instructions for Use. Ethicon, Inc.
15. Data on file, Ethicon. Powder TTH vs Original Final Report. 2015.
16. Data on file, Ethicon. Final Report, PSE Accession No. 16-0006. Project No. 16438.
17. Rothenburger S, Spangler D, Bhende S, Burkley D. In vitro antimicrobial evaluation of coated Vicryl Plus Antibacterial Suture (coated polyglactin 910 with triclosan) using zone of inhibition assays. Surg Infect. 2002;3(suppl):S79-S87
18. P960052B.
19. Data on File. Keplinger 07PD0748. Protocol investigation of the comparison of PRINEO with conventional wound closure techniques.
20. In a preclinical porcine model vs. uncoated stainless steel blades at 60W (p<0.001). Kisch T, et al. Electrocautery Devices with Feedback Mode and Teflon-Coated Blades Create Less Surgical Smoke for a Quality Improvement in the Operating Theater. Medicine, 2015;94(27). In a preclinical porcine model on abdominal wall dermis that measured thermal damage via histology (p<0.05).
21. In a preclinical porcine model at 60W vs. uncoated stainless steel blades at 60W (p<0.001). Kisch T, et al. Electrocautery Devices With Feedback Mode and Teflon‐Coated Blades Create Less Surgical Smoke for a Quality Improvement in the Operating Theater. Medicine, 2015;94(27).
For complete indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse reactions, please reference full package insert.
