Clinical Research Directory

Assessment of GORE® SYNECOR Biomaterial in Focused Patient Populations and Long-Term Application

The SYN 20-01 Study is a non-interventional, prospective, multicenter, multicohort, international, post-market clinical investigation looking into the assessment of GORE® SYNECOR Biomaterial in focused patient populations and in long-term application. Patients with ventral / incisional hernia amenable to hernia mesh repair will be enrolled into two cohorts (US and EU cohort) and followed-up over the period of 60 months.

LIQUIBAND FIX8® for Ventral Incisional Hernia

This study is designed to evaluate the safety and performance of device LiquiBand FIX8 Open hernia mesh fixation device. The use of this device is not experimental, as it is already approved for use in the EU (CE-marked). This is a retrospective post market clinical follow-up study to collect information about the use of the device in a real-world setting for ventral incisional hernia repair. Ventral incisional hernias occur following surgery and the most common method of treatment includes implanting a mesh, which in the case of ventral incisional hernia, the standard of care is intra-peritoneal onlay mesh. This is fixed in place using sutures, tacks or adhesive. The LiquiBand FIX8 Open device is an atraumatic device specifically engineered for strong mesh fixation of hernia repair meshes. Hernia repair meshes are woven sheets of flexible synthetic plastic which are placed tension-free over the weakness in the peritoneum abdominal wall, essentially 'plugging' it up. Tension is created in the abdominal wall during repair, but the mesh allows this tension to be spread out. The mesh must be secured to the underlying tissue and this is often done with the use of tacks or sutures, however, the study device instead uses a glue (N-Butyl 2 cyanoacrylate adhesive) to secure the mesh. The FIX8 Open device is designed for the application of this glue to the implanted hernia repair mesh in order to fix the mesh to the underlying tissue. When the glue is applied to the mesh and tissue, it polymerises (forms a chemical bond) due to the moisture on the tissue surface within approximately 10 seconds and allows the mesh to remain in the correct position. The study device can also be used to close topical wounds (the opening that the surgeon makes on the surface to access the hernia).

Preoperative BOTOX® Injection for Large Ventral Hernia Repair

This study is for adults who need open surgery to repair a very large abdominal (ventral) hernia. This study tests whether a one-time, image-guided injection of a medicine commonly known as "BOTOX®" (onabotulinumtoxinA) into the side abdominal muscles 3-7 weeks before surgery helps surgeons close the abdominal wall fully at the end of the operation. Closing the muscle and tissue layers ("primary fascial closure") is linked to fewer problems after surgery and better quality of life. Participants will be randomly assigned (like a coin flip) to receive either the BOTOX® medicine or a saltwater (placebo) injection. Neither patients nor the care team will know which one was given. All participants will still have their planned hernia repair in the standard way that we repair patients who are not part of the study. The study will track whether the abdomen can be closed without leaving a gap, and investigators will also look at recovery, complications, time in the ICU or on a ventilator, length of stay, pain, and quality-of-life scores. Most information will be collected during participants' hospital stay, but the investigators will continue to see how participants are doing up to 2 years after surgery. Short phone check-ins will occur before surgery, and after surgery follow-up happens around 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, and 2 years. Possible risks from the injection include temporary muscle weakness, trouble swallowing or breathing, pain or infection at the injection site, and (if CT is used for guidance) a small amount of radiation exposure. Surgery itself carries the usual risks (pain, bleeding, wound problems). Benefits are not guaranteed, but the injection may make closure easier and recovery smoother. About 188 people will take part at Cleveland Clinic.