Medical robotics company (the clue’s in the name) Medrobotics Corp., has gained the CE mark for its Flex® System and will initiate a limited commercial launch of the product in select European markets. Flex is a technology that enables surgeons to gain access to challenging anatomy such as that encountered in otolaryngology procedures.
Background
Minimally invasive surgery has demonstrated advantages for patients and providers compared to traditional open procedures, decreasing hospital stays and recovery times. The Flex® System was designed to provide a cost-effective, easy-to-use robot-assisted surgical platform for hospitals and surgeons seeking to provide minimally-invasive treatment options to the broadest number of patients.
The system makes it possible to undertake surgical procedures where conventional line-of-sight technologies are either not feasible or suboptimal. Surgeons can navigate the Flex® Endoscope around anatomical structures to hard-to-reach locations through a single access site, then use the onboard high-definition vision system to precisely deploy a range of third party flexible surgical instruments. The uniquely “wristed” 3mm Flex® Instruments enable the surgeon to operate in confined spaces, further extending his or her reach to important and often challenging areas of the anatomy.
Physician comments
“The Flex® System provides a unique platform to access and visualize surgical targets in difficult to reach locations such as the oropharynx and endolarynx,” commented Dr. Marshall Strome, Professor and Chairman Emeritus, Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute and Co-Chair of Medrobotics Medical Advisory Board. “With currently available technologies, we are often trading off between access, visualization and two-handed surgery, but the Flex® System gives us all three.”
Company comments
“The Flex® System is the first robot-assisted flexible endoscopic platform for use during surgical procedures,” said Samuel Straface, Ph.D., president and CEO of Medrobotics. “The system enables surgeons to access and visualize hard-to-reach anatomical locations and deploy specially designed flexible surgical instruments to perform procedures.”
Source: Medrobotics Corporation, Business Wire
published: March 19, 2014 in: Approval/Clearance, ENT, Technology