We all have seen the Youtube videos of the stapling and cutting of the stomach during the GSV procedure. My question is what goes on above or in the esophagus? I've heard mention of the bougie of a certain diameter and looked them up and have seen the are long slender flexible plastic things of a certain diameter. So I assume these are pushed down the esophagus into the stomach to hold it to a certain diameter to use for a line to place the stapler stapler against?

If I'm right and the bougie is pushed down the esophagus are all patients intubated during the process or is it possible to breath while the bougie is in place?

I am also fascinated as to how the autosuture staples work. I can see plenty of info online as to the staplers themselves but not as to how the staples themselves are shaped and how they work. Anyone know?

We all have seen the Youtube videos of the stapling and cutting of the stomach during the GSV procedure. My question is what goes on above or in the esophagus? I've heard mention of the bougie of a certain diameter and looked them up and have seen the are long slender flexible plastic things of a certain diameter. So I assume these are pushed down the esophagus into the stomach to hold it to a certain diameter to use for a line to place the stapler stapler against?

If I'm right and the bougie is pushed down the esophagus are all patients intubated during the process or is it possible to breath while the bougie is in place?

I am also fascinated as to how the autosuture staples work. I can see plenty of info online as to the staplers themselves but not as to how the staples themselves are shaped and how they work. Anyone know?

I've worked in surgery and as an RN, I can safely say that as long as general anesthesia is involved, the patients are intubated.

Yeah, you're gonna be intubated. The intubation tube goes in the trachea, so having something in the esophagus doesn't interfere with it.

My doctor didn't use a bougie, he used an endoscope. He said he could examine the staple line from the inside that way--kills two birds with one stone.