Shape memory alloys are materials with properties that make them ideal for the use in the human body. The most important features are thermal shape memory, constancy of stress, biocompatibility and lack of corrosion, Biomechenical compatibility and MRI compatibility.

Our group is working with a new Israeli company, NiTi Med, to create compression anastomosis devices using Nitinol.

Compression anastomosis devices have been around for over a century, starting from Murphy's Button, and biofragmentable, compression "valtrac bar" in the 80’s.  The basic technology is based on devices that consist of two nitinol rings or a double ring that compress two bowel loops together, starting a continuous process of necrosis and healing that fuse the two bowel lumens together. The potential advantages of this type of anastomosis are that it is continuous, may be Introduced through a very small incision, the tissue thickness does not matter, there is no foreign body left (advantage in IBD?), therefore allowing bowel stretching after healing. So far, two types of devices have been used, for side-to-side and for end to end anastomoses. The first was already used in over 250 patients, and the latter has been approved for human studies recently.