Dear surgeon,
We are not satisfied with the state of surgery today. We won’t be satisfied until every person who goes into an OR for a surgical procedure leaves with a positive outcome.
The tools that you need may not exist right now. Tell us what those tools might be.
The engineers at Cook Medical are hard at work creating new products, but they can’t do it alone. We believe that the best surgical devices were envisioned by the surgeons who wanted to use them.
This is what we’re looking for:
- A device that doesn’t exist. It sounds obvious, but many of the “new” devices in the industry are just reiterations of existing products. This type of innovation benefits a company’s profit more than it benefits a patient’s outcome.
- A device that is intended to help the patient. You know better than anyone that a patient is also a mother or father, daughter or son, brother or sister. The patient is a person whose care is in your hands. We think it’s in our hands too. We plan to make only devices that benefit that person. If it isn’t the best option for any patient, we’re not interested.
- A device that will disrupt the industry. The industry isn’t perfect. We want frustrated surgeons to work with us to fix it. Let’s eliminate the need for some surgical procedures. Let’s find ways to save money. It sounds aspirational, but one new idea can make a big difference. Here’s proof.
Tell us what device you need. Check out our innovation portal here to read more about working with Cook Medical.
Keep looking for ways to make surgery better.
Sincerely,
Andy Cron
VP Surgery
Hello. I’m Victor Havill, a marketing manager with Cook Surgery. I just returned from SAGES 2014 in Salt Lake City and thought I’d share something about the experience.
First of all, I’d like to commend SAGES on its selection of venue. Salt Lake City is one of the most picturesque cities in the country. It seems that everywhere you look is a beautiful, postcard-worthy view.
Getting around is easy too. For a mere $2.50, you can take the train from the airport directly to the Salt Palace Convention Center. The train takes only about 15 minutes and—compared to a cab—will save you 20 dollars.
Apparently, there is lots of great skiing there as well, but no time for that! We were there to learn and work.
Cook representative Aaron Stephens and Vice President of Surgery Andy Cron posed during some downtime at the Cook booth (see below). We met plenty of surgeons this year and had great discussions on Biodesign and minimally invasive surgery.
SAGES this year featured sessions on a couple of subjects that piqued our interest: common bile duct exploration—or as we call it, CBDE—and laparoscopic hernia repair. SAGES is a society that is on the cutting edge of minimally invasive surgery, and it’s great to be a part of a company that aligns perfectly—past, present and future—with this trend.
– Victor Havill
Many sessions and symposia at this year’s ASGBI Congress focus on expanding the abilities of the surgeon.
We at Cook Medical are especially excited. A surgeon with broadened opportunity is a benefit to everyone: hospitals, the industry and, most importantly, patients. These are a few events that have already caught our eye.
- Surgeons as innovators (30 April, 11:00, auditorium) This event includes many respected surgeons and scientists. At 11:25, watch Professor Gordon Carlson talk about a unique way to treat intestinal failure.
- Meet the expert: surgical management of parastomal hernias (1 May, 11:15, the hub) In Professor Roger Motson’s hour-long session, he’ll share how he fixes herniated stomas and safeguards against recurrence.
- Biologic materials in surgery (1 May, 17:30, Queens 1) This Cook-sponsored symposium will delve into the science of biologic grafts. Visit this symposium and discuss the ideal applications for biologic technology.
- Innovative colorectal surgery in the 21st century (2 May, 11:30, auditorium) The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland sponsors this session, and we’re sure they’ll spark great discussions.
Staying active in the community of your peers is important. Keep the momentum going after the conference closes.
Take a look at the schedule of Vista workshops. These are Cook-sponsored events run by respected faculty. Join us for a workshop on component separation or fistula repair.
It’s the first day of the annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). Cook Surgery is here at the meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“SAGES is one of the more exciting congresses to attend,” says Brian Spicer, global product manager for Biodesign hernia repair grafts. “There’s an energizing atmosphere here that’s been created by all of the forward-thinking surgeons.”
These are just a few of the energizing events that we can’t wait to see:
- The postgraduate course on common bile duct (CBD) stones: Although many surgeons perform cholecystectomy, not many surgeons feel comfortable managing CBD stones. Many top surgeons (including Dr. Joseph Petelin and Dr. Robert Fanelli, who have partnered with us to create CBD devices) will lead seminars and hands-on sessions about stone removal.
- The Ethics of Innovation Symposium: A safety committee, a value assessment committee, a conflict-of-interest committee, a guidelines committee, and an ethics group will gather to talk about how new technologies can benefit patients—and how these new technologies should be introduced.
- Discussions in the exhibit hall: We want to know what the rest of the industry is talking about. “I’m excited for conversations about what more can be done to help patients,” says Brian. “New procedures and technologies give companies and surgeons the opportunity to really impact patients’ lives.”
Follow us on Twitter to get updates from the event.