A Digital Publication for the Practicing Medical Specialist, Industry Executive & Investor

Medtronic Hugo™ Robotic-Assisted Surgery System Cornerstone of New Robotics Program in Latin America

Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced the integration of the Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system at Hospital Clinico de la Red de Salud UC CHRISTUS in Santiago, Chile, to support the teaching institution’s new robotic surgery program. UC CHRISTUS is the latest institution to join Medtronic’s Partners in Possibility Program, a group of pioneering hospitals that will be among the first in the world to use the Hugo RAS system in support of the Hugo system patient registry.

“Our surgical robotics vision — to expand access to quality care to more people in more places — is coming to life at UC CHRISTUS,” said Carla Peron, M.D., chief medical officer of the Surgical Robotics business, which is part of the Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic. “It’s incredibly exciting to see our teams working together to bring surgical robotics where it couldn’t exist before, all for the benefit of patients.”

In Latin America, approximately 75% of surgeries are conducted as open procedures.1 With minimally invasive surgery, those patients could experience fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, faster return to normal activities, and smaller scars.2–4,†,‡

Robotic surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery that offers surgeons improved visualization, greater dexterity, and ergonomic advantages, yet robots are used in less than 3% of surgeries globally.1 The Hugo RAS system — Medtronic’s solution to historic cost and utilization barriers that have kept surgical robotics out of reach for many hospitals — is a modular, multi-quadrant platform designed for a broad range of soft-tissue procedures.

The Hugo RAS system combines the precision of wristed instruments with the flexibility of independent robotic arm carts and best-in-class 3D visualization technology on an open console. Touch Surgery™ Enterprise, a cloud-based surgical video capture option powered by artificial intelligence, allows surgeons to seamlessly record, analyze, and share Hugo system case footage.

“I am honored to have performed the inaugural robotic-assisted surgery procedure for UC CHRISTUS and to be leading this program, the first of its kind for our institution,” said Ignacio San Francisco, M.D., urological surgeon and specialist in minimally invasive uro-oncology surgery. “With Hugo RAS system, we are entering a new era of robotic-assisted surgery, improving how we deliver high quality healthcare to our patients.”

In support of its commitment to expand access to quality care, Medtronic has opened a new Surgical Robotics Experience Center in Santiago. This is the company’s first in Latin America and 1 of 10 world-class facilities around the globe where clinicians can experience and train on the Hugo RAS system. The Santiago Surgical Robotics Experience Center operates in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which is affiliated with UC CHRISTUS.

“We are confident that our new robotic surgery program is ready for success and will provide our patients with leading-edge quality healthcare, thanks to the novel capabilities of the Hugo RAS system, the support we have received from our partners at Medtronic, and our outstanding surgeons,” said Alejandro Canavati, chief executive officer, Red de Salud UC CHRISTUS. “As a teaching institution, we are proud to serve as a premier destination for world-class surgical robotics training for physicians across the region.”

The Hugo RAS system is not cleared or approved in the U.S. or Europe. Regulatory requirements of individual countries and regions will determine availability and approval or clearance timelines. Touch Surgery Enterprise is not intended to direct surgery, or aid in diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.


†Compared to open surgery.
‡MIS may not be suitable for every patient; consult your doctor to determine if MIS is an option for you.
1. Based on Medtronic report, FY20 market model: procedural volume data.
2. Fitch K, Engel T, Bochner A. Cost differences between open and minimally invasive surgery. Managed Care. 2015 Sep;24(9):40–48.
3. Tiwari MM, Reynoso JF, High R, Tsang AW, Oleynikov D. Safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of common laparoscopic procedures. Surg Endosc. 2011;25(4):1127–1135.
4. Roumm AR, Pizzi L, Goldfarb NI, Cohn H. Minimally invasive: minimally reimbursed? An examination of six laparoscopic surgical procedures. Surg Innovation.2005;12(3):261–287.

Medical Device News Magazinehttps://infomeddnews.com
Medical Device News Magazine provides breaking medical device / biotechnology news. Our subscribers include medical specialists, device industry executives, investors, and other allied health professionals, as well as patients who are interested in researching various medical devices. We hope you find value in our easy-to-read publication and its overall objectives! Medical Device News Magazine is a division of PTM Healthcare Marketing, Inc. Pauline T. Mayer is the managing editor.

More News!

The Evolut ™ FX+ TAVR system leverages market-leading valve performance with addition of larger windows to facilitate coronary access
The study was an analysis of AstraZeneca’s Phase 2 52-Week clinical trial of tralokinumab in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The patient data from the trial was processed with Brainomix’s e-Lung tool. The tool is uniquely powered by the weighted reticulovascular score (WRVS), a novel biomarker that incorporates reticular opacities and vascular structures of the lung.
“Since the algorithm for matching patients with donors is changing across for all organs, this was a prime time to better understand whether transplant team decisions to accept a donated organ varied by patient race and gender,” she said. “We wanted to understand how the process of receiving a transplant after listing varied by race and gender, and the combination of the two, so that steps can be taken to make that process more equitable," said Khadijah Breathett, MD.
The Mount Sinai study found that primary care physicians’ approach reflects a dearth of evidence-based guidance for lung cancer screening shared decision-making in patients with complex comorbidities
This is the first ever transplantation of a genetically engineered porcine kidney into a living human recipient.

By using this website you agree to accept Medical Device News Magazine Privacy Policy