Colospan

Anastomotic leakage of colon content into the abdominal cavity is the most devastating complication associated with colorectal surgery. Leaks occur in ~22% of cases, leading to increased hospitalization time, higher re-operation rates, increased patient mortality & additional costs. To minimize the risk of a leak, surgeons create a loop of the small bowel which is diverted outside the abdominal wall & connected to a stoma bag to collect patient’s feces for 4-6 months. Diverting stoma significantly diminishes patients’ quality of life, increases cost of care & requires an additional invasive surgery to reverse the stoma. Our novel device, CG-100, is an elastic tubular sheath that is positioned at the anastomosis site during the primary colorectal surgery & creates an internal bypass for all colon content. CG-100 is removed non-surgically 10 days after primary surgery. CG-100 addresses will improve patient quality of life, save ~1350 pa lives & reduce healthcare costs by €4B pa in EU.