Is it worth using mechanical sutures in gastric surgery?

The use of stapler devices in gastrointestinal surgery has to be justified by the results. Since the cost of staplers is very high, their use should be followed by some advantage in the operating time, the morbidity or mortality rate or the postoperative stay. We have found a slight shortening in the operating time, but only statistically significant for Billroth I, and in the postoperative stay only for oesophagojejunostomies mechanically performed. We have not found any advantage with the other techniques and in the other parameters. Consequently, the use of staplers in gastric surgery should be carefully assessed by the surgeon for each patient in particular, and only used in those cases where a real benefit will be presumed.