First, do no harm.

This central admonition of the Hippocratic Oath presents a paradox, a thorny "Catch-22" that has bedeviled physicians and surgeons for 2,400 years: to heal, some harm must often be done.

The innovators at US Surgical know that progress can resolve paradox. The VersaStep® Access System is a 21st century approach to three contemporary concepts that help resolve the paradox of Hippocrates: separation, dilation, and minimal invasion.

Don't Cut -- Separate

The patented VersaStep® Access System may be safer than conventional and non-bladed trocars. VersaStep® uses radial dilation to separate -- not cut -- muscle and fascia. In over 40 peer reviewed journal articles, the VersaStep® Access System shows reduced incidence of:

· Vascular injury
· Bowel/bladder injury
· Abdominal wall bleeding
· Incisional hernia
· Post-operative pain

"We have seen a 50:1 reduced risk of abdominal wall bleeding with the VersaStep® Access System," gynecologic surgeon and infertility specialist Don Galen explained from the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. VersaStep® permits "smaller incisions and less post-operative pain," Galen said, which "leads to reduced operating costs because of shorter operating room stays."

Noted for his pioneering use of innovations in minimal invasion, Galen performed the first infertility surgery using the da Vinci Surgical Robot. In 1999, he published one of the most comprehensive reviews of radially expanding access devices. "Despite careful placement by experienced surgeons, sharp trocar-related complications continue to be a serious, sometimes life-threatening problem," Galen wrote. "Laparoscopic insertion of 541 radially dilating cannulas by five surgeons at six different sites has not resulted in a single case of abdominal vascular injury, bowel injury, or incisional hernia."*

VersaStep® -- versatility through vision

The top radially expanding access device Dr. Galen has used and tested: VersaStep®.

"VersaStep® is the only truly radially dilating system that uses no axial forces when properly placed," Galen said.

Recent VersaStep® innovations -- such as the VersaSeal® Universal Seal for safe, easy exchange of instruments -- reinforce Dr. Galen's opinion.

"It will adapt to any diameter instrument without the need for the surgeon to change seal sizes, and it does so smoothly without loss of pneumoperitoneum," Galen said.

The team behind VersaStep® at US Surgical also compliments Dr. Galen's interest in innovative, minimally invasive techniques.

"US Surgical has been the innovator of many new designs and improved surgical systems in Laparoscopy," Galen noted. "They also have a wide distribution network staffed by a very dedicated and professional sales team, most of whom I have personally met."

Improving access to the VersaStep® Access System

"Many surgeons do not yet realize the medical evidence which has shown VersaStep® to be far safer than any sharp trocar system," Dr. Galen said.

Like his namesake -- the 1st-century Greek surgeon Galen -- Don Galen is an outspoken advocate for tools and procedures that increase patient comfort.

"Since using this product for the past 8 years, I have had no further laparoscopic vascular
injuries or surgical bleeds," Dr. Galen said, though now he has his own "Catch-22."

"This is good and bad," Dr. Galen explained. "Good because it is better for my patients and me. Bad because I teach courses on laparoscopic complications and I am no longer able to acquire new surgical videos showing these complication because they fail to occur with VersaStep®."

United States Surgical will give the VersaStep® Access System to a surgeon who has not used it in the last 6 months. For more information, call their AutoSuture Division at 1-800-722-8772 or fax 1-800-544-8772. Mention this article and schedule a case to try the VersaStep® Access System today.

You may also website US Surgical at www.ussurgical.com or contact your local US Surgical Representative.

*J. Am. Assoc. Gynecol. Laparosc. 6(1): 79-84, 1999; www.drgalen.com