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Video Clip:
T2000
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 In today's
healthcare environment, cost control has become a major factor in the assessment
of surgical Trocar systems. Reusable surgical instrumentation, rather than
single-use disposable devices, should be a primary focus to reduce operating
room costs. The T2000 combines the convenience
of a disposable trocar and the cost savings of a reusable trocar without
sacrificing the quality of its construction or the features that it offers
surgeons. The T2000 utilizes a consistently sharp, replaceable tip and a
reliable shielding mechanism for the tip that permits the T2000 to be easily
cleaned while also offering quality construction, state of the art materials,
and interchangeability. We believe that the T2000 will uniquely satisfy the
desire of hospitals and their administrators to control soaring costs while also
meeting the demands of surgeons for versatility and quality of construction.
Surgery has traditionally required making large incisions, 12 to 24 inches long
to perform surgery. This incision, and the significant dissection needed to
allow the surgeon to visualize the field, are the parts
of the operation that cause most of the pain and contribute to slow patient
recovery.
Laparoscopic surgery is a technique, which allows the surgeon to perform the
operation through multiple small incisions with the aid of a video camera and
special instruments. Laparoscopic surgery is also called minimally invasive
surgery.
Minimally invasive surgery is an approach where the same operations are
performed using specialized instruments designed to fit into the body through
several small punctures instead of one large incision. Instead of looking
directly at the part of the body being treated, the physician monitors the
procedure via a special video camera system called a laparoscope inserted
through one of the small punctures. This can actually allow better visualization
of the operative site for more precise work. By eliminating the large incision
and extensive dissections, much of the pain of recovery can also be eliminated.
This minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery is also known as "keyhole"
surgery, "micro" surgery, and telescopic surgery.
 Minimally invasive surgery represents a relatively new class of surgical
procedures that incorporate the use of a 10mm or smaller fiber optic laparoscope
that connects to a video monitor. The laparoscope is used to perform surgery in
or around the abdominal cavity, known as laparoscopy or the laparoscopic
approach.
The minimally invasive technique of laparoscopic surgery was successfully
introduced for gynecological procedures in the early 1970's. Since 1988, when
laparoscopy was first used for cholecystectomy, gallbladder removal, patient
demand has contributed to a rapid expansion in the number of laparoscopic
procedures performed. Using a thin tubular telescope and a tiny high-resolution
video camera, the surgeon can see, on a TV monitor, what the camera sees inside
the abdomen, through a pencil-sized "portal" passed through the abdominal wall.
Other portals are placed through which long, slender instruments can be
inserted to do the actual surgery. There is no large and painful incision.
Patients who have undergone laparoscopic gallbladder surgery can attest to
reduced discomfort, rapid recovery, and excellent cosmetic results that are
usually achieved with this method. Today, 95 percent of gallbladder removals are
performed laparoscopically and the approach has been adapted successfully for
many other types of surgery.
Therapeutic laparoscopy in general surgery was established in the late 1980s
with its use in performing cholecystectomies, hernia repairs and other
procedures. The impetus for its growth has been decreased invasiveness and its
resultant advantages, including shorter hospital stays, less postoperative pain,
earlier return to work and routine activities of daily living and greater cost
effectiveness.
Laparoscopy experienced explosive growth with respect to instrument development
and sales. The current market size for all laparoscopic procedures is 1,957,700
and is expected to grow to 2,303,303 by the year 2003. Companies such as US
Surgical and Ethicon Endo-Surgery began to compete for the highly lucrative
market of laparoscopic instrumentation, primarily trocars. When compared against
the market size for laparoscopic procedures, trocars are estimated to generate
annual sales of over $300,000,000. Trocars are the utility instrument for all
laparoscopic procedures.
A trocar’s main purpose is to penetrate the abdominal wall and allow access to
the body cavity in which a procedure is performed. It is the one common
instrument used in all procedures and the average number required is four per
procedure. Each trocar allows the surgeon to pass a scope, instrument or other
device to complete the procedure. US Surgical and Ethicon Endo-Surgery have
dominated the market over the past 10 years with convenient, disposable trocar
systems which cost roughly 90% more than our expected cost of the T2000
Reusable Trocar System per procedure.
In the healthcare industry today, there is a much greater awareness than ever
before of the need to reduce cost and look for alternatives to traditional
methods of doing business as a result of changes in reimbursement from third
party payors. The laparoscopic surgical market has expanded rapidly in the past
several years and growth is expected to continue at a strong pace as new
surgical techniques and approaches are developed using minimally invasive
technology. We intend to address the needs of customers in this market who seek
solutions to the rising cost of surgical services by providing the highest
quality surgical instrumentation and at the same time reduce the cost of each
procedure by 50-60%. The number of hospitals and outpatient surgery centers that
are candidates for sales of our T2000 Reusable Trocar System is over 6,000
nationwide.
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Houston,
Texas