Staple line reinforcement for intracorporeal anastomosis reduces time for reconstruction during laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer Running Τitle: Staple line reinforcement for gastric cancer

Purpose: Despite the widespread use of laparoscopic surgery, intracorporeal anastomosis remains a complicated procedure. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of novel staple line reinforcement (SLR) during laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods This study included 30 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Kochi Medical School between November 2021 and May 2022. A review of these patients was conducted, and perioperative outcomes were compared according to the use of SLR. Results The reconstruction time using SLR was significantly shorter than that for when SLR was not used (20.5 min vs. 32.0 min, P  = 0.048). The incidence of hemostasis during anastomosis was significantly lower in the SLR group than in the non-SLR group (0 vs. 3 times, P  = 0.041). There were no significant differences in the operating time and estimated blood loss after surgery between the two groups. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in postoperative complications or nutritional status between the two groups. Conclusions The results demonstrated the usefulness of SLR, which could reduce the time for intracorporeal reconstruction during laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.