Background: Fistula from the remnant pancreatic stump after distal pancreatectomy has an incidence of 20% or higher. Many techniques have failed to decrease the rate of this complication. A device used for renal and hepatic soft tissue coagulation and hemostasis, Tissuelink™, offers the possibility of sealing the parenchyma of the pancreatic stump using saline-cooled radio-frequency energy without the need to oversew. Hypothesis: Tissuelink™ treatment of the pancreatic stump leads to fewer leaks and subsequent complications after distal pancreatectomy compared to traditional stump closure. Methods: 40 large domestic swine underwent distal pancreatectomy/splenectomy and were randomized to traditional oversewing of the stump (n=20) or Tissuelink™ treatment of the stump alone (n=20) after transection. Post-operatively, animals were inspected by blinded observers for complications. Drain fluid was collected daily for the first 10 post-operative days and sent for amylase determination. Half the animals in each group underwent necropsy at 3 or 5 weeks post-operatively. At necropsy the operative site was inspected for undrained fluid collections or abscesses and fluid sent for amylase determination. The proximal pancreatic duct was injected retrograde with methylene blue dye to assess for extravasation. The distal pancreatic resection margin was fixed in formalin for histologic analysis by a blinded pathologist. Primary endpoints were: dye extravasation, undrained amylase-rich fluid collections or abscesses, and greater than 3-fold drain-to-serum amylase activity after the 3rd post-operative day. Secondary endpoints included prolonged post-operative narcotics, lethargy, anorexia, emesis, and bowel or wound complications. Results: The total rate of pancreatic complications in the Tissuelink™ group was 5% vs. 40% in the control group (p= 0.01). These complications included dye extravasation (n=0 Tissuelink™ and n=3 Control) and undrained amylase-rich fluid collections/abscess (n=1 Tissuelink™ and n=5 Control). There was a greater than 3-fold mean drain-serum amylase activity in the control group versus Tissuelink™ on post-operative days 3-8. There were no differences in other clinical measures between groups. Histologic analysis supported necropsy findings. Summary: Tissuelink™ treatment of the pancreatic remnant leads to fewer pancreatic complications compared to traditional methods of stump closure after distal pancreatectomy in a porcine model. Conclusion: Tissuelink™ treatment appears to be a feasible alternative to traditional methods of stump closure and may have benefit in minimizing pancreatic leaks after resection in the clinical setting.