surgical robotics Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

What’s next for orthopedic device tech? Enovis’ CEO has ideas

Enovis CEO Matt Trerotola [Image courtesy of Enovis]“We’re excited about the momentum we’re building. We think we’ve made a good initial splash here,” Enovis CEO Matt Trerotola recently told MassDevice.

One of the largest orthopedic device companies in the world, Wilmington, Delaware–based Enovis has had a string of positive news lately:

Financial results swung to a profit as part of Street-beating fourth quarter 2023 results. The company expects further momentum as it integrates LimaCorporate and its patient-tailored, 3D-printed titanium implants for complex reconstructive surgeries. Enovis completed the $846 million acquisition in January. Enovis‘ DJO subsidiary in January launched its next-gen DonJoy Roam OA knee brace for osteoarthritis or other knee pain and instability. Enovis says it’s kicking off a multiyear cadence of new product introductions across its Recon and Prevention and Recovery (P&R) businesses.

Trerotola recently …

Isometric Micro Molding closes sale to new owner Nissha Medical Technologies

Isometric Micro Molding manufactures miniaturized parts and components for medical devices. [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

Isometric Micro Molding is officially under new ownership after Nissha Medical Technologies closed on its acquisition of the medtech supplier.

Buffalo, New York–based Nissha Medical Technologies (a subsidiary of Kyoto, Japan-based Nissha Co.) is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on minimally invasive surgical instruments and wearable devices.

Under terms announced in December, Nissha planned to take a majority stake in Isometric Intermediate LLC., which owns the Isometric group of companies. Other financial terms have not been disclosed.

“We’re excited to add another vertically integrated capability as a global CDMO supporting miniaturization of devices and components,” Nissha Medical Technologies said in a post on Li…

Surgical robots don’t improve knee surgery revision rates, study says

[Image from Pixabay]

Robotically assisted total knee arthroplasty has skyrocketed in popularity, but a new registry data analysis raises some questions about the benefits for knee surgery patients.

The analysis of American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) data, presented at AAOS 2024 in San Francisco, found that revision rates were similar in conventional and robotic-assisted cementless TKA at two years post-operatively. The study also found that the odds of revision due to infection or mechanical loosening were not significantly different between the two methods.

“A lot of single surgeon studies show there is improved precision with robotic-assisted TKA,” Dr. Lucas Nikkel, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a news release about the study. “Some studies suggest there may be improved early recovery or less damage to soft tissue. One of the chall…

Noah Medical CEO Jian Zhang’s 2024 medical robotics outlook

Noah Medical’s founder and CEO shares his outlook on the year ahead for surgical robotics, including growth opportunities, tech advances and strategies for success.

Noah Medical’s Galaxy system for lung biopsy uses a robotic bronchoscope to reach and sample for suspected cancers deep in a patient’s lungs. [Image courtesy of Noah Medical]

By Jian Zhang, Noah Medical

Medical robotics continues its impressive march forward within mainstream medicine. From new applications to new technologies, the field demonstrated impressive growth over the last year.

But there’s still incredible room to grow, and looking ahead to 2024, there are a few clear areas of opportunity.

Market conditions align for growth

The practice of robotics in medical procedures has come a long way in a short time. The first robotic-assisted surgery on a live patient was performed almost 40 years ago. Now, it’s an $18 billion global m…

Another surgical robotics CEO says GLP-1s could boost bariatric surgeries

Levita Magnetics founder, CEO and President Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro [Photo courtesy of Levita Magnetics]

The rise of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) weight loss drugs will likely increase demand for bariatric surgeries in the long run, according to Levita Magnetics founder, CEO and President Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro.

He’s the latest CEO of a surgical robotics developer to weigh in on how these novel drugs could affect demand for bariatric procedures and the wave of robotic systems being launched to perform them.

In an interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing, Rodriguez-Navarro says he views GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in the same way as previous advances like intragastric balloons that were hailed as obesity solutions.

“Down the line, you stop using those treatments and the people regain the weight, because obesity’s a multifactorial, very complex diseas…

Nissha deal means big boost for Isometric Micro Molding’s mini-manufacturing

Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

The pending acquisition by Nissha Medical Technologies will give a big boost to Isometric Micro Molding’s manufacturing of miniaturized medtech used in robotic surgery, diabetes and other growth markets, executives from both companies said.

Medical Design & Outsourcing discussed the deal with Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber, Isometric VP of Business Development and Strategy Brent Hahn, Nissha Medical Technologies Chief Integration Officer and Chief Supply Chain Officer Jon Casey, and Nissha Medical Technologies EVP Brandon Hoffman. The following interview has been lightly edited for space and clarity.

MDO: What will Nissha Medical Technologies and Isometric Micro Molding be able to do together that they couldn’t do before?

Nissha Medic…

Nissha Medical Technologies has a deal to buy Isometric Micro Molding

Isometric Micro Molding manufactures miniaturized parts and components for medical devices. [Photo courtesy of Isometric Micro Molding]

Nissha Medical Technologies today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Isometric Micro Molding.

Buffalo, New York–based Nissha Medical Technologies said it expects to close the deal by the end of 2023.

Nissha Medical Technologies (a subsidiary of Kyoto, Japan-based Nissha Co.) is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on minimally invasive surgical instruments and wearable devices. Nissha will take a majority stake in Isometric Intermediate LLC., which owns the Isometric group of companies.

“This strategic agreement aligns seamlessly with our mission to deliver high-quality, value-added products in the global medical device market,” Nissha said in an announcement.

Isometric Micro Molding CEO Donna Bibber and …

Zimmer Biomet’s Liane Teplitsky on the ‘magic’ of data integration

Zimmer Biomet’s Persona IQ smart knee implant has sensors to measure device performance and patient recovery. [Image courtesy of Zimmer Biomet]

Zimmer Biomet’s robotics, technology and data president offers data integration advice, identifies opportunities beyond orthopedics and discusses tech she’s looking for.

Zimmer Biomet is collecting more data than it knows what to do with — and that’s a great opportunity, says Liane Teplitsky.

Teplitsky is the orthopedics developer’s president of global robotics and technology and data solutions. Her domain has expanded rapidly since she joined Zimmer Biomet from Abbott’s cardiac arrhythmia business in 2020.

Back then, Zimmer Biomet’s ZBEdge digital and robotic technology suite consisted of the mymobility patient care app and the Rosa surgical robotics system for brain and total knee procedures. Now, ZBEdge also includ…

USMI to debut Canady surgical robot

The Canady robotic AI surgical system. [Image courtesy of USMI]US Medical Innovations (USMI) today announced plans to display its Canady robotic AI surgical system at the start of next year.

USMI announced the planned debut in collaboration with the Jerome Canady Research Institute for Advanced and Biological Technological Sciences (JCRI-ABTS). They called the announcement “a ground-breaking achievement in surgical and robotic technology.” They plan to unveil the system at the First Global Surgical Oncology Summit in Jerusalem, Israel. It takes place between Jan. 30, 2024, and Feb. 2, 2024.

Canady delivers cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), a three-dimensional, non-contact biometric pulsed electromagnetic field. CAP selectively targets and kills microscopic tumor cells during surgery without damaging non-cancerous surrounding tissue.

The system features a motorized positioning arm, a speech recognition electrosurgical generator called ORLI and a con…

Two-armed surgical robot prototype targets pediatric brain tumors

The endoscopic brain robot’s arms are each 2.8 mm in diameter and 35 mm long when fully extended. Together, they offer a 43 mm diameter workspace. [Image courtesy of Boston Children’s Hospital]

Researchers say they’ve developed a surgical robot for removing brain tumors in children, and that it could also offer a less invasive, safer option for adult neurosurgery and other procedures.

The trick is using hollow, nitinol robot arms to allow neurosurgeons to swap tools during a tumor resection procedure, said Pierre DuPont. He’s the chief of pediatric cardiac bioengineering at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the corresponding author of a new research paper detailing the potential advantages of a two-armed neuroendoscopic robot.

In an interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing, DuPont traced the project back to conversations with Dr. Jim Drake, chief of neurosurgery at Sick…

FDA clears Insight Medbotics’ MRI-compatible surgical robot

The IGAR system. [Image courtesy of Insight Medbotics]Insight Medbotics announced today that it received FDA 510(k) clearance for its IGAR MRI-compatible surgical robot system.

Clearance for the Hamilton, Ontario-based company’s robot applies to breast biopsy indications.

The company said IGAR is the first and only robotic system designed to work inside an MRI bore to garner this regulatory clearance. It features adaptability for future products that could move seamlessly across different care environments. Insight Medbotics says that includes moving from an MRI to a standard operating room or a physician’s office.

IGAR demonstrated its safety and efficacy in published clinical studies for breast biopsies. Other potential applications include targeting other organs and disease indications, as well as therapeutic delivery and device placement.

“Our team has long believed in the untapped potential of accessible MRI imaging, artificial…

How Noah Medical’s robotic Galaxy system goes deep into the lungs

Noah Medical’s Galaxy system for lung biopsy uses a robotic bronchoscope to reach and sample for suspected cancers deep in a patient’s lungs.

But the brightest star in the Galaxy system isn’t that disposable, robotic scope, but rather Noah Medical’s tool-in-lesion tomosynthesis (TiLT) technology, designed to help surgeons retrieve samples that will provide a definitive answer from the pathology lab.

Medical Design & Outsourcing spoke with Noah Medical VP of Engineering John Shen to learn more about how the system works, how it was developed, and potential applications of the technology.

Noah Medical VP of Engineering John Shen [Photo courtesy of Noah Medical]

“Robotic systems are hellishly complex,” Shen said. “There are many, many, many systems or components that in their own right are complex devices, and they all need to be working together …