Tissue vitality monitoring system and method and surgical technique

Tissue vitality is monitored by means of a sensor attached to the tissue. Preferably, the sensor is attached to the tissue at the end of a surgical intervention, for example after anastomosis of the colon. The sensor is attached to the tissue with a sensitive surface facing the tissue, e.g. at a point of anastomosis. The sensor is designed to measure for example (partial) carbondioxide or oxygen pressure of the tissue, or the amount of oxygenated hemoglobin in the tissue. The sensor is incorporated in a sensing device with a wireless transponder circuit to read sensor output data from a wireless transponder circuit. As a result the sensor can subsequently be used to read out information about tissue vitality, even if the sensor itself is located in an inaccessible location, such as the inside of the colon, without physically perturbing the tissue