Milestone case performed at HUS Helsinki University Hospital demonstrates MMI’s continued momentum in the soft tissue open surgery field
MMI, (Medical Microinstruments, Inc.), a robotics company dedicated to increasing treatment options and improving clinical outcomes for patients with complex conditions, announced the successful completion of over 500 in-human surgeries with the Symani Surgical System in the European Union. The Symani Surgical System is a first-of-its kind robotic technology that uniquely addresses the scale and complexities of microsurgery and supermicrosurgery. It aims to restore quality of life for more patients, accelerate the number of surgeons able to push the boundaries of complex procedures for delicate anatomy, and enable hospitals to expand their open surgical programs.
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Millions of patients today with complex conditions lack access to treatment options that optimize outcomes due to human physical limitations on the microsurgical scale and a lack of specialists able to perform surgery on tiny, delicate anatomy. The Symani Surgical System is poised to help. It is a robotic platform that enables expanded options for patients in need of soft tissue open surgical procedures, such as free flap reconstructions, lymphatic surgery, trauma reconstructions, and peripheral nerve repairs. Since the first in-human cases in October 2020, the system has been used in over 500 procedures, rapidly increasing patient access to surgical treatment options as surgeons become comfortable using the technology.
“We believe that open surgery is long overdue for technological advancement. This major milestone for the Symani Surgical System is a testament to how robotics can elevate the standard of care by pushing the boundaries of complexity,” said Mark Toland, CEO of MMI. “People with hard-to-treat conditions deserve options that can give them a better quality of life, and we hope that by expanding access to microsurgical and supermicrosurgical procedures, we’re able to drive that initiative forward.”
The Symani Surgical System’s unique capabilities in open microsurgery are a result of its proprietary NanoWrist® instruments, which feature the world’s smallest surgical robotic wrist. This enables surgeons to replicate the natural movements of the human hand at the micro scale with seven degrees of freedom, tremor filtration, and motion scaling, ultimately increasing precision and control.
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The 500th procedure was a lymphatic repair performed by Sinikka Suominen, PhD, MD, plastic surgeon at the HUS Helsinki University Hospital in Finland. HUS Helsinki University Hospital is one of the largest University Hospitals in Europe and is also a European and International Microsurgery Centre of Reference. In 2023, it was ranked No. 39 on Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals. Of the 500 procedures completed to date, approximately 75 percent have been free flap surgeries, and 16 percent have been lymphatic repairs. The remaining 9 percent have consisted of other procedures such as peripheral nerve repairs and extremity replantation surgeries.
“Our hospital is using the Symani Surgical System across multiple procedure types, such as lymphatic repair and head and neck cancer-related reconstructive surgery, and I’ve experienced notable changes in the accuracy, stability, and reliability of my suture placement during lymphatic procedures,” said Dr. Suominen. “These are quality of life surgeries that enable patients to return to work or simply resume their normal daily activities. Lymphedema at its worst is a disabling condition, and advanced microsurgical procedures can give patients hope for a better quality of life. I’m proud to have completed this milestone procedure and look forward to many more opportunities to help patients through open, robotic microsurgery.”
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