West Kendall Baptist Hospital is the first hospital in the nation to use the world’s smallest stapler instrument to close incisions in the gastrointestinal region of the body.

Juan-Carlos Verdeja, M.D., completed the first surgical procedure in the United States on March 3 using the cutting and stapling device developed by Cardica called the MicroCutter XCHANGE™ 30 to perform an appendectomy. He has since performed one other appendectomy using the device.

The instrument, approved by the Federal Drug Administration in January, replaces the conventional 12mm stapler device used in minimally invasive procedures. The MicroCutter XCHANGE™ 30 already is in use in Europe.

“The availability of the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 will allow us to change the way we perform some less invasive procedures. We will have a smaller entry point for stapling, and an added advantage is the instrument can be moved at an 80-degree angle, rather than the customary 40 degrees, giving a better reach once inside the body. The result is more flexibility, better access to tight spaces and decreased surgical trauma. It opens the door to new possibilities and I am very excited,” said Dr. Verdeja, chief of the General Surgery Division for Baptist Health Medical Group and medical director of Emergency Surgical Services for Baptist Health South Florida.

West Kendall Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. It includes Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Baptist Outpatient Services and Baptist Health Medical Group. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health is affiliated with Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and has designated West Kendall Baptist Hospital as its academic facility.