Robot surgery company Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has received U.S. FDA clearance for its Single-Site Wristed Needle Driver for use in single-incision surgery. This latest addition to the Single-Site suite of instruments has been cleared for use with the da Vinci Si Surgical System for minimally invasive hysterectomy, the ovaries and fallopian tubes for benign conditions, as well as removal of the gallbladder.
Background
The da Vinci System was first cleared for use in gynecology in 2005, since when the use of minimally invasive surgery in hysterectomy has nearly doubled. Intuitive Surgical says its da Vinci procedure is currently the most common minimally invasive surgical approach used by surgeons for removal of the uterus in the United States. It no doubt expects to enhance this with the introduction of the Wristed Needle Driver, which will provide surgeons with a new tool designed to facilitate suturing during a single-incision approach for benign hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Single-Site Instrumentation facilitates virtually scarless surgeries through a single-incision, while providing surgeons the benefits of robotic and computer assistance. These include surgical precision, control, stability, 3D-HD visualization and an ergonomic seated position. Together, the da Vinci System and Single-Site instruments are designed to minimize instrument crowding while maximizing available working space as compared with hand-held, laparoscopic single-incision instrumentation.
The Single-Site Wristed Needle Driver was developed in part to facilitate suturing after removal of the uterus. It can move the instrument tip up to 45 degrees in all directions for precise needle positioning. This 5 mm instrument also features serrated jaws to facilitate needle handling.
Physician comments
“It’s truly a remarkable engineering achievement to have a flexible instrument with a wristed tip that provides surgical precision,” said Dwight Im, M.D., Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, who participated in the user testing that led to FDA clearance.
“The debut of the wristed needle driver heralds an advancement in the evolution of the Single-Site platform for da Vinci procedures,” said Devin Garza, M.D., of North Austin Medical Center, Austin, Texas, a user-testing participant. “It is likely to change the playing field with regard to the availability of this approach for benign hysterectomy procedures,” Garza said.
“We now have the last piece of the puzzle for Single-Site hysterectomy,” said Thomas Payne, M.D., Texas Institute of Robotic Surgery in Austin, who was also a user-testing participant. “This technology is a true tipping point for this procedure,” Payne said.
Company comments
“As the first fully articulating robotic single-port instrument available on the market, this is truly a transformative technology for surgeons and patients seeking a minimally invasive option,” said Dave Rosa, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Intuitive Surgical.
Source: Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Globe Newswire
published: September 29, 2014 in: Approval/Clearance, Gynaecology/Obstetrics