Levita Magnetics announced today that it performed the first procedures with its robot-assisted surgical platform.
Menlo Park, Calif.-based Levita’s newest system, the Levita Robotic Platform, was used by Dr. Ignacio Robles in a reduced-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) at Clínica INDISA in Santiago, Chile, as part of a clinical study of the platform.
According to a news release, Levita designed the new platform to deliver the clinical benefits of the company’s first commercial product, the Levita Magnetic surgical system, which includes less pain, faster recovery and fewer scars.
The company said it intends to use the platform to improve visualization, maintain surgeon control of instruments and increase hospital efficiency with fewer assistive personnel required for the procedure. The design specifically targets high-volume ambulatory or same-day discharge abdominal surgeries.
Robles said the first procedure “went very smoothly” and delivered positive recovery with no complications at 30 days post-surgery. Two additional procedures have been performed since, with Robles touting Levita’s magnetic technology as a way to improve surgeon control and efficiency.
“We are taking magnetic surgery to the next level with this disruptive approach. Our robotic platform is designed to be the first to enable the clinical benefits of a less invasive procedure with fewer incisions, while allowing the surgeon full control of the platform and surgical instruments directly beside the patient,” Levita Magnetics founder & CEO Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro. “We believe enabling timely access to needed surgery has a direct impact on the quality of life for patients and may reduce the risk of complications or death due to the underlying disease. Our ultimate goal is to globally increase the ability of surgeons and hospitals to provide more patients access to better surgical procedures within their communities.
“We are advancing our clinical study and plan to submit the Levita Robotic Platform to the U.S. FDA for clearance in late 2021. We aim to deliver what society is expecting from surgical robotics.”