Sanofi US announced the commercial launch of LeGoo®, a biopolymer gel that allows surgeons to temporarily stop blood flow during surgery without the use of clamps, elastic loops or other conventional occlusion devices, which may increase risk of trauma to blood vessels. The atraumatic occlusion technique potentially provides clear visualization with less clutter while maintaining vessel integrity. The announcement was made in conjunction with this year's annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Meeting, which is being held in Los Angeles this week.
As the first and only atraumatic intraluminal occlusion gel, LeGoo is injected into a blood vessel and forms a plug that molds to the shape of the vessel, stopping blood flow temporarily. The plug custom-adapts to the contour of each individual blood vessel, delivering a truly sophisticated approach to surgical procedures. Upon completion of the anastomosis, LeGoo is dissolved spontaneously in about 15 minutes or by cooling the vessel directly through ice application or cold saline infusion, which restores blood flow.
"LeGoo represents an elegantly simple and atraumatic solution to temporary vessel occlusion," David H. Deaton , MD FACS, Chief, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. "The fluid nature of LeGoo adapts to any arterial anatomy irrespective of shape or calcific disease, delivering a truly sophisticated and flexible approach to vascular anastomoses and providing a clear surgical field. LeGoo is an innovative advance in cardiovascular surgery."