Multisegmental gastrointestinal dysmotilities: a surgical scenario for future implementation of theranostic devices

Aim: Multisegmental gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotilities, such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, may lead to life-threatening events. The interdisciplinary INTAKT project is developing wirelessly communicating GI devices for intelligent sensor technology and electrostimulation-based motility modulation. However, a concrete vision of clinical implementation has not been previously described. Methods: An interdisciplinary team of surgeons, gastroenterologists, biologists, engineers, veterinarians and product designers developed a clinical scenario based on pre-clinical experiments, contextual analysis and usage scenarios. Results: The surgical experiences of our previous studies with conventional open, laparoscopic and robotic setups were analyzed. Patient selection, a surgical strategy and perioperative management are described in detail. Conclusion: Further technological solutions may enable first-in-human trials according to our protocol.