Seamguard Buttressing of the Staple Line During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Appears to Decrease the Incidence of Postoperative Bleeding, Leaks, and Re-operations. A Meta-Analysis of Non-Randomized Comparative Studies

Abstract Leaks and bleeding are major acute postoperative complications following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Various staple line reinforcement (SLR) methods have been invented such as oversewing, omentopexy/gastropexy, gluing, and buttressing. However, many surgeons don’t use any type of reinforcement. On the other hand, surgeons who use a reinforcement method are often confused of what kind of reinforcement they should use. No robust and high-quality data supports the use of one reinforcement over the other, or even supports the use of reinforcement over no reinforcement. Therefore, SLR is a controversial topic that is worth our focus. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of LSG with versus without Seamguard buttressing of the staple line during LSG.