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Team trials method of performing "bloodless" liver surgery

17 March 2004

The Bupa Foundation has granted over £150,000 to a medical research project that will trial a new medical device that enables surgeons to perform nearly "bloodless" liver surgery. The benefits of bloodless surgery are expected to be dramatic as blood loss during conventional liver surgery is associated with complications and reduced long-term survival.

The number of patients who need tumours removed from their livers is increasing. Even although survival rates are also increasing, there are considerable risks attached to the surgery because of the complex blood supply to the liver and the risk of blood loss.

Nagy Habib, Professor of Hepatobiliary Surgery at Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital, London, will test the effectiveness of a surgical device that seals blood vessels in the liver and allows surgeons to resect the liver and remove tumours with virtually zero blood loss.

"Over the years different methods have been developed to allow safer liver surgery, but, despite the introduction of these new methods, blood transfusions are still required because of bleeding during surgery. A device that removes the need for regular blood transfusions and intensive care facilities will have a major beneficial impact on liver surgery as a whole," said Professor Habib.

Bioengineers under the leadership of Robert Dickinson of Imperial College London have developed the device, which consists of four needles arranged in formation. Inserted into liver tissue and connected to a radio frequency generator, it heats the tissue surrounding the needles and seals the blood vessels allowing surgeons to leave a dry edge when they cut.

The trial will target 100 patients undergoing liver surgery to compare and evaluate existing equipment and procedures with the new bipolar radio frequency device. Professor Nagy Habib said, "We expect this new device to outperform current methods because it is able to seal the entire depth of the liver in just one application."

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, governor of the Bupa Foundation and Bupa's medical director, said, "This exciting development has great potential and could make liver surgery much more safe. I very much look forward to seeing the results of the study over the coming years."

The Bupa Foundation is a charitable organisation founded in 1979 that exists to provide finance towards the prevention, relief and cure of sickness and ill health. The Bupa Foundation has awarded grants in excess of £10 million for medical research and healthcare initiatives.