NORDERSTEDT, Germany, August 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethicon Endo-Surgery (EES), has announced the introduction of a new addition to its HARMONIC(R) line of surgical devices, the HARMONIC ACE(R) 45 cm Curved Shears.

HARMONIC ACE(R) 45 cm, designed to extend the reach of surgeons for minimally invasive procedures involving obese patients, is 25 percent longer (or 9cm) than the standard length HARMONIC ACE(R) device. The additional length of the HARMONIC ACE(R) 45 cm enables surgeons to reach anatomy during procedures on obese patients while reducing the need to relocate trocars. The HARMONIC ACE(R) 45 cm also reduces the need to push down on patients' abdomens, enabling surgeons to rotate the jaws of the device without impacting the trocar.* The HARMONIC ACE(R) 45cm is primarily intended for use in bariatric, general, colorectal and gynecologic laparoscopic surgeries for obese patients, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, colectomy and hysterectomy.

The extended reach of the ACE(R) 45 cm gives me better access to the abdominal cavity, whether the patient is obese, or not, said Doctor Mirto Foletto, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova.The co-morbidities associated with obesity and that obese patients are more likely to need surgery, means that innovation by medical device manufacturers is hugely important to ensuring equal access to high quality treatment for all patients.

With the HARMONIC ACE(R) 45cm, surgeons will experience the same precision, efficiency and versatility they expect from the HARMONIC ACE(R) portfolio.

Ethicon Endo-Surgery provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy products to meet the unique needs of surgeons and individual patients. As the leading ultrasonic cutting and coagulating surgical device used in more than nine million surgical procedures worldwide, HARMONIC(R) allows precise application of ultrasonic energy in advanced laparoscopic and open procedures, and is designed to minimize tissue damage to the patient. The Ethicon Endo-Surgery Energy portfolio also includes the ENSEAL(R) advanced bipolar devices that give surgeons control in tissue, sealing larger vessels while minimizing tissue trauma. Using temperature control technology not available in any other bipolar device today, ENSEAL(R) devices offer minimal thermal spread for simultaneously sealing and transecting large vessels up to and including 7 mm and tissue bundles.

*Compared to HARMONIC ACE(R) 36E.

About Ethicon Endo-Surgery

Ethicon Endo-Surgery develops and markets advanced medical devices for minimally invasive and open surgical procedures, focusing on procedure-enabling devices for the interventional diagnosis and treatment of conditions in general and bariatric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal health, gynecology and surgical oncology.

SOURCE: Ethicon Endo-Surgery EMEA

CONTACT: For more information, please contact: Angelika Elser, DirectorPublic Affairs and Communication, Ethicon Endo-Surgery EMEA, T:+49-40-5297-3306, M: aelser@its.jnj.com