AUSTIN, Texas, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Florida Hospital
Celebration Health announced this week the use of a new class of
flexible surgical instruments created by Apollo Endosurgery®,
to remove a stomach tumor and extract it through the patient’s
mouth. Following the two-hour surgery, the patient spent one night
in the hospital and was prescribed Acetaminophen for pain. This is
a stark contrast to minimally invasive or open surgeries which
necessitate incisions and can require anywhere  from two to
eight weeks of recovery time.

“Revolutionary cases like this one begin to reveal the potential
of new flexible surgery techniques and tools designed to remove
early stage lesions from the colon, esophagus, and stomach,” says
Jay Redan, MD, Medical Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at
Florida Hospital Celebration Health.

Development of flexible surgical instruments like the one used
at Florida Hospital could not have been possible without the
support and generous funding from the Cancer
Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Dennis
McWilliams, CEO and President for Apollo Endosurgery®, says,
“Apollo Endosurgery is honored to be among the first of three
companies in Texas to have received a commercialization grant from
CPRIT. We’ve used these funds to advance therapeutic flexible
endoscopy and other less invasive therapies. We’re excited to see
the application of our tools in the endoluminal removal of lesions
from the stomach.”

CPRIT is a state agency dedicated to expediting innovation and
commercialization in the area of cancer research and to enhancing
access to evidence-based prevention programs and services
throughout Texas.  Learn more about the work of CPRIT at http://www.cprit.state.tx.us/.

To learn more about flexible surgery instruments, including the
OverStitch® Endoscopic Suturing System and th

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