Updates on Auris' early clinical use

Recently, the first reports appeared on AURIS' Monarch early clinical use in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery: "Robotic Endoscopic Airway Challenge: REACH Assessment" by Alexander C.Chen and Colin T.Gillespie:

"Purpose  

Bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary lesions continues to present challenges to clinicians. One potential limitation may be the inability to advance conventional bronchoscopes into close proximity of peripheral lesions prior to biopsy. This study was performed to assess the reach of a robotic endoscopic system within human cadaveric lungs compared to conventional thin bronchoscopes. Description  

All segmental bronchi (RB1-10, LB1-10) were accessed in two human cadavers using a conventional thin bronchoscope and robotic endoscope of identical outer diameter. Bronchus generation count and insertion depth measured by electromagnetic navigation and external fluoroscopy were recorded. Evaluation  The robotic endoscope was advanced beyond the conventional thin bronchoscope in all segments, particularly in bronchi with increased angulation such as RB1 (mean generation count 8 vs. 3.5, respectively) and LB1+2 (mean generation count 8 vs. 4.5). 

Conclusions  

The robotic endoscopic system was advanced beyond a conventional thin bronchoscope with identical outer diameter into the periphery of human cadaveric lungs. Improved reach within the lung periphery may address some limitations with contemporary bronchoscopic approaches for peripheral lesion biopsy."

As Mountain View Voice puts it:

"Doctors at El Camino Hospital broke new ground in the fight against cancer last month, debuting a new robot-guided procedure designed to find and diagnose one of the deadliest diseases in the United States. A clinical trial taking place at El Camino is ditching old bronchoscopy techniques in favor of an advanced robotic system called the Monarch Platform, which can guide a slender camera through the narrowest regions of the lungs and take tissue samples of suspicious "nodules" that could be malignant. The first procedure on a live patient -- and the first of its kind in the U.S. -- took place on March 30 without a hitch.

The device, created by the med-tech company Auris Health, marks a much-needed "paradigm shift" in the way physicians diagnose lung disease, said Dr. Ganesh Krishna, who performed the procedure last month. He said using a conventional bronchoscope is subject to human error, challenging to maneuver, and is too large to fit in the smallest branches of the lungs, which poses a serious challenge in diagnosing potentially cancerous nodules in the lungs.

"It can only go so far," Krishna said. "Periphery access has always been the Holy Grail."

Newer techniques relied on image-guided bronchoscopy using CT scans as a means for guiding the procedure, but a virtual layout of the lungs is hardly the same as peering directly into the lungs using a camera, he said.

The Monarch Platform is composed of two parts -- the robot-guided bronchoscopy tool itself and a cabinet holding a video feed from the camera and a controlling device used by the physician. The device's sleek white plastic frames and glowing blue LED lights stood out in the operating room inside El Camino's old main hospital building, appearing downright futuristic next to a dimly lit hallway full of older medical devices."

Auris hit the news  recently with joining forces with J&J Ethicon.
Auris is showcasing its robot next at the International Conference of ATS.