Evaluating a miniature robotic device for hysterectomy

Contemporary OB/GYN:

Hi. I'm Celeste Krewson with Contemporary OB/GYN, and I'm here with Dr. Dubuisson to discuss the first hysterectomy performed with the miniRAS device. Do you want to introduce yourself?

Jean Dubuisson, MD, PhD:

Hi, Celeste, it's a pleasure to be with you today. So, my name is Jean Dubuisson. My current position is head of the gynecological surgery unit at Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland. I'm also affiliated with the University of Geneva as a senior lecturer. I'm expert in mini-invasive surgery, including laparoscopy, vaginal approach, hysteroscopy and vNOTES as well.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

So, to get started, can you discuss how the device improves the performance of doctors performing a hysterectomy?

Dubuisson:

Yes, so the MIRA surgical system is the world's first miniaturized robotic assisted surgical device. We call it minibot as well. It's used to perform soft tissue surgeries through only one single incision through the abdomen, and the main advantage for this mini bot is its unique portability and small design. That's why the mini MIRA device is compact, I think probably less than 1 kilograms, it’s extremely useful, and the framework is portable as well. So, it's a little bit to sum up the benefits of the MIRA robot, and what is new in this field of gynecology.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

That's great. So, what's the significance of the first successful hysterectomy being performed with this device?

Dubuisson:

So, for us, it's very important, because today, for example, in the United States, hysterectomy is the second most common surgical procedure performed in gynecology, after C-section, of course, accounting for over half a million procedures per year. So, it's huge, even now, and the proportion of laparotomy, invasive surgery, is still very high. That's why I think, and we think with Virtual Incision, there is still significant room for improvement in increasing adoption of the mini procedures, and the mini bot MIRA surgical system will help us to improve this rate, this proportion of minimal invasive surgery. So, we did this first procedure in Geneva. It was an absolute privilege for me to participate to this project, of course, and the hysterectomy went well, so it's important for us to have the first case and to know that it's possible and safe to do it.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

And can you go into a bit more detail about how the procedure was performed?

Dubuisson:

Yes, so we had the chance, it's a team up. I used to work with a with a team and staff members, and we performed the first hysterectomy in the world using the miniaturized robot, the 12th of July. It was quite straightforward procedures. I was happy, honestly, with no intraoperative complication during the follow up as well, we encountered no complications. So, I was very happy. We started a pilot study for the future, and that's a really important step, I think, not only do one procedure, but to continue with a lot of data and to be sure that it's a good device to perform the hysterectomies.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

And what are the advantages of minimally invasive surgery versus a more open approach?

Dubuisson:

That's a very good question, Celeste. We know since probably 2 decades ago that minimally invasive surgery is associated with shorter hospital stays, less morbidity, and a quicker recovery to normal activities. It has been demonstrated with laparoscopy and standard robotic surgery, but there is still a quite high level of invasive approach called open surgery, or laparotomy. And the goal to introduce and to implement such robotics is to reduce the rate of invasive surgery. It's very important for the patient. We have to think to patient, and I think the patient outcomes will be improved with the implementation of this robot. I really think so, and if we can reduce this rate of invasive surgery, it's a milestone for the future of a patient in gynecology.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

Those are great points. We're just about ready to wrap up. But is there anything you want to add first?

Dubuisson:

Yes, it's a pleasure for me to share this with all my colleagues. I think it's important we do a lot of innovations with these small robots, and the portability is a very important thing. It means that you have shorter setup times, and we are not so much in the in the area, so you will reduce the number of specialized staff needed compared to other surgical robots, and it's very quick to learn how to manage this robot for my team. Not only the surgeon, the surgeon needs to be trained, but for my team, it's quite easy, and probably easier than the standard robots in the market now.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

Well, thank you for speaking with me today.

Dubuisson:

Thank you so much. Have a nice day.