Medrobotics, a firm out of Raynham, Massachusetts, won FDA clearance for its Flex Robotic System. The device is designed for performing transoral surgeries on the mouth and throat that require work on difficult to reach areas. The system features a flexible scope that can snake to the treatment site and then becomes rigid in order to provide a stable working environment. There’s a high-definition camera on-board and channels for two “wristed” instruments that help operate in tight spaces.
The scope is made of a series of interconnected mechanical components that are concentric to each other, but can be made to move in order to create overall flexion. This allows physicians to reach places that a rigid scope simply can’t, and perform procedures that may otherwise have required a considerably more invasive approach. The instruments themselves are designed to fit with this paradigm, and so are themselves flexible and can pass through the working channels even when the scope itself has multiple twists and turns.
Indications, according to the company:
The Medrobotics Flex® Robotic System is a device that is intended for robot-assisted visualization and surgical site access to the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx in adults (≥ 22 years of age). The Flex® Robotic System also provides accessory channels for compatible flexible instruments used in surgery.
The system received European regulatory approval in March of last year.
Product page: Flex Robotic System…
Source: Medrobotics…