Medical innovations are usually associated with high-tech equipment, but optimised mechanical tools and medical products are often what make everyday clinical interactions more convenient for doctors and patients. This is why Click'aV Plus focuses on one of the most frequently performed operations in the world: ensuring safe and effective care when treating appendicitis. Laparoscopic appendectomies usually involve expensive and heavy endostaplers, which are sterile, single-use surgical stapling instruments. When released, they create parallel rows of staples to firmly close the wound. The Click'aV Plus polymer clips are an improved second generation of the ligating clips, and the staggered, opposed arrangement of soft teeth on both sides is inclined towards the ligated tissue for a stronger grip. This design also expands the range of applications for polymer clips as an alternative to common tissue ligation systems and can be used in other procedures as well. Another important requirement considered during the development process was to minimise hospital waste, which meant that only the cartridge in which the clips are stored has to be disposed of after the procedure. “The Click'aV Plus polymer clips are a very interesting product,” the jurors concluded. “They enable surgeons to easily reach the appendix during minimally invasive surgery, grasp it and then clip it just by easily pressing the handle with the fingers. The cost savings of around 85 per cent is incredible – especially when you consider that about 135,000 appendectomies are performed each year in Germany alone.” Although the developers of this product focused on functionality first, it has a remarkable appearance with bold signal colours. In combination with its carefully constructed, ergonomic design, this product offers doctors and medical professionals an efficient solution with unique visual appeal.
