Ireland-based US healthcare company Medtronic has revealed its surgery assistant robot, dubbed Hugo, has been cleared for use in several European countries.
Hugo is a customisable robotic platform designed for non-invasive surgeries. Credit: Medtronic
The robot, which performed its first surgery - a prostatectomy - on a human this past summer in Chile has seen limited rollout for a number of key procedures in places such as Asia and Latin America.
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The platform, a robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system made up of modular surgical arms atop wheeled carts and equipped with 3D visualisation and cloud-based surgical video capture, has also seen scattered use in Asia, such as when it performed another prostatectomy in India.
The company revealed a timeline going back to 2019 with the company trying to gain regulatory approval in Europe as well as attempting to pass checks from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"This day has been a long time coming, not just for Medtronic, but for the surgeons and hospital leaders who have partnered with us on this journey to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery to more patients around the world", said Megan Rosengarten, the head of Medtronic's surgical robots wing.
"With the Hugo RAS system in our European customers' hands and our dedicated team by their side, together we will redefine what is possible in robotic-assisted surgery", she added.
Hugo has been cleared by regulators to perform urologic and gynecologic surgeries during its initial rollout wave in Europe, including hysterectomies.
Gynecologic and urologic procedures currently account for more than half of all robotic-assisted check-ups today, according to the healthcare firm, with the former being a focus of its initial launch wave in Latin America.
The company suggests as many as 3% of all medical procedures worldwide are handled through robotics with this number expected to climb rapidly as automation becomes a larger fact of life in hospitals.
Research has suggested robotic-assisted surgery leads to fewer complications as well as reducing the time before a patient can resume normal activities.
Cosmetic benefits may include a reduction in visible scars, alongside an overall reduced chance of infection and less pain and blood loss.
"Robotics and artificial intelligence are the undeniable future of healthcare, with incredible potential to not only advance patient care, but increase access to these benefits," said Rob ten Hoedt, executive vice president of Medtronic EMEA. "We've had strong interest from leading surgical centres across Europe and expect to move quickly with multiple installations in several countries."
Select hospitals in Europe will be able to utilise Hugo as part of a wider research and development outfit with the goal of introducing the platform to patients worldwide.
Clinicians from these hospitals will be offered hands-on training at two flagship sites operated in partnership with the ORSI Academy in Ghent, Belgium, and IRCAD in Strasbourg, France.
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The platform is designed to reduce the barrier for entry for hospitals looking to break into or expand their reach into robotic surgery.
Hugo is easily customisable with up to four surgical arms and can be easily transported across hospital wards.
- More information about Hugo can be found on Medtronic's website.
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