Virtual Incision's abdominal robots
"Virtual Incision Corporation is a privately-held medical device company focused on developing an advanced, miniaturized robot for general surgery abdominal procedures, such as colon resections.Propelled by the knowledge that colorectal and lower gastrointestinal procedures are the fastest growing in the United States, Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov and Dr. Shane Farritor founded Virtual Incision in 2006.The company is a spin-out of the University of Nebraska, where Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov and Dr. Shane Farritor are currently based. John Murphy joined Virtual Incision in 2012 and is based in Pleasanton, California."
"According to the company’s press release, “More than two million patients undergo colon resection procedures globally each year. Approximately two-thirds of these procedures are performed via a completely open surgical procedure involving an 8- to 12- inch incision and up to six weeks of recovery time. Because of the complicated nature of the procedure, existing robotically assisted surgical devices are rarely used for colon resection surgeries, and manual laparoscopic approaches are only used in one-third of cases.1” What makes this system so interesting and unique is that the surgical robot is essentially self-contained and basically works entirely within the body. A single incision is made for the robot to enter the body, providing access to two arms, a camera, and a light source. Unlike it’s much larger peers that are being utilized in procedures currently, this miniaturized system does not require a specialized surgical suite. Also, the smaller size of it will bring a much lower price point. It’s possible that this minimally invasive robotic system could be used for other traditionally “open” surgical procedures. The following video from the company offers a clearer picture of how the system functions and also offers comparisons for size reference to a quarter and cell phone. It certainly represents an exciting leap in robotic surgical technology that will hopefully be indicated for colon resection as well as an array of other procedures in the not-to-distant future."
"According to the company’s press release, “More than two million patients undergo colon resection procedures globally each year. Approximately two-thirds of these procedures are performed via a completely open surgical procedure involving an 8- to 12- inch incision and up to six weeks of recovery time. Because of the complicated nature of the procedure, existing robotically assisted surgical devices are rarely used for colon resection surgeries, and manual laparoscopic approaches are only used in one-third of cases.1” What makes this system so interesting and unique is that the surgical robot is essentially self-contained and basically works entirely within the body. A single incision is made for the robot to enter the body, providing access to two arms, a camera, and a light source. Unlike it’s much larger peers that are being utilized in procedures currently, this miniaturized system does not require a specialized surgical suite. Also, the smaller size of it will bring a much lower price point. It’s possible that this minimally invasive robotic system could be used for other traditionally “open” surgical procedures. The following video from the company offers a clearer picture of how the system functions and also offers comparisons for size reference to a quarter and cell phone. It certainly represents an exciting leap in robotic surgical technology that will hopefully be indicated for colon resection as well as an array of other procedures in the not-to-distant future."
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