I understand oozing at the staple line can be a concern given the risk that it may lead to more serious bleeding and complications such as air leaks. As access can be a challenge, addressing those complications can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to choose a stapling device proven to reduce intra-operative bleeding and post operative complications. Not all surgical staplers are created equal, and surgeons have commented to me that they do see oozing and bleeding at the staple line with SureForm™. Our engineers have tested over 150 firings and found that the ECHELON™ 3000 had 2.5 times more consistent average staple height compared to SureForm™.^*1 The engineers noticed that staple heights tended to be higher in the middle of the staple line which is interestingly where surgeons often comment they see oozing the most. Consistent staple formation is critical to ensure hemostasis. The ECHELON™ 3000 achieves this by combining multiple features of both the stapler and GST reloads. Firstly, pre-compression, focal compression, and dynamic firing in the stapler all work together to prepare the tissue for firing, exudate fluids, and ensure the powered firing sequence adapts to the variable tissue thickness. The GST reloads include proprietary gripping surface technology that holds tissue in place during firing, minimizing tissue slipping, and allowing you to transect where you intend.²  Most importantly, the inclusion of these features has been shown to improve staple formation and reduce leaks in benchtop testing.^3,4 A clinical study showed a 56% reduction in intraoperative blood loss when comparing ECHELON FLEX™ Powered Staplers with GST Reloads and ECHELON FLEX™ Powered Vascular Stapler vs. manual staplers.⁵ Many surgeons choose to perform a bedside firing with ECHELON™ 3000 in procedures where patients are at higher risk of bleeding complications. I would be happy to attend and support a few of these cases with you to give you the opportunity to use ECHELON™ 3000 and see the results for yourself.