New in the OR: Products that save time, money
Better breast biopsies and money-saving software
The Rockville, MD-based Food and Drug Administration has approved a new device that allows breast biopsies to be performed as a minimally invasive procedure with local anesthesia.
Biopsies using the ABBI device require less OR time, are more accurate, and involve less patient pain, disfigurement, and scarring than with the traditional open approach, according to a spokesman for the manufacturer, United States Surgical Corp. in Norwalk, CT.
Patients are positioned on a specially designed stereotactic table, and the surgeon locates the lesion and inserts a needle, leaving a wire marker. The ABBI instrument is inserted once to remove the tissue.
The ABBI system is primarily designed for nonpalpable, mammographic lesions, says Karen Bellini, RN, at Montreal General Hospital in Canada, who assists David Fleiszer, MD, the first surgeon to use the technique. Palpable lesions can be removed by the ABBI once an ultrasound rules out a cyst, Bellini says.
Of 12 patients who received biopsies using the ABBI, only one needed any post-procedure medication for pain -- including Tylenol, says Bellini. The incision size is about an inch or less, she says.
The ABBI system costs $279,000, plus $489 per procedure for a disposable unit. U.S. Surgical predicts that surgery centers or hospitals would reach a break-even point financially when the equipment is used on 12 to 15 procedures per month at an average reimbursement of $1,100.
The ABBI device resembles a trocar and comes in 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm sizes, depending on the size of tissue that needs to be removed. It became available in the United States in April.
[Editor's note: For more information on the ABBI system, contact United States Surgical Corp., 150 Glover Ave., Norwalk, CT 06856. Fax: (203) 845-4561. For specific questions about the ABBI, contact Shelley Spray, product manager, at (800) 321-0263 ext. 54507.] *
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