Clinical Benefits
- Faster than sutures
- 8 times stronger than sutures in protecting incision from distraction forces
- Less scarring - no staple track marks
- No staple or suture tissue punctures that may allow bacteria into wound site
- Fewer wound complications
- Eliminates patient home care or clinic visit (for staple or suture removal)
- High tissue perfusion at incision after closure
- High patient satisfaction - 95% would prefer Zip on their next procedure
Economic Benefits
- Reduces overall cost vs. existing methods. Can save over $800 per procedure
- Reduces labor costs:
- Eliminates patient home care or clinic visit (for staple or suture removal)
- Reduces OR time
- Ease of Use facilitates delegation of closure task
- Increases facility efficiency- less surgery to surgery and surgeon to surgeon variation in closure time
- Reduces staff needle stick injury risk
PRELOC Technology
Incision Isolation Zone
During post-operative recovery, patient movement can cause tension to pull on the incision and disrupt healing.
The force distribution mechanism of the Zip also acts as a scaffold or cage around the incision, isolating and protecting the incision from these forces.
An in-vivo study suggested that the Zip protects the incision from distraction forces several times better than a traditional running subcuticular suture. Since mechanical tension is a key contributor to scarring, it makes sense to use a wound closure that not only provides effective closure, but isolates the wound from tension.
Dynamic Compression
During joint flexion, incisions enlongate and distraction forces perpendicular to the incision increase.
The Zip is perforated between adjacent load distribution links. It is designed to separate at these perforations to enable enlongation of the device with the incision during flexion.
The serpentine structure made up of the combined straps and load distribution links also enlongates during flexion and subsequently gently compresses the incision to couteract distraction forces during flexion.
Tissue Perfusion
- Perfusion is a critical indicator of tissue health. Inadequate perfusion is one of the fundamental causes of early wound complications in reconstructive procedures.
- Staples or sutures can produce high compressive forces and result in reduced blood flow or ischemia.
- The Zip is designed to distribute the pulling force of each strap across the adhesive base on either side of the incision, resulting in lower overall compressive force on the tissue.
- These fluorescent angiography images were taken immediately after closure of two open ankle surgeries closed with staples and ZipLine, respectively. The Zip image shows higher perfusion rates at and around the incision.
