Cleveland Clinic is first in the United States to use a surgical robot with magnetic technology to successfully perform bariatric surgery

• Magnetic robotic technology enhances minimally invasive surgery.
• The robot with magnetic technology was recently approved by the FDA for minimally invasive gastric sleeve surgery.

December 2023, CLEVELAND. Cleveland Clinic is the first medical centre in the United States to have performed a minimally invasive gastric sleeve procedure using a surgical robot with magnetic technology recently approved by the FDA.

Gastric sleeve surgery, also called sleeve gastrectomy, is one of the most common bariatric surgery procedures. It removes a large part of the stomach, leaving behind a narrow “sleeve”.

Dr. Matthew Kroh, section head of surgical endoscopy and vice chair of innovation and technology at Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease Institute, led the team that successfully performed the operation in September. Following the procedure to treat obesity, the patient is doing well.

“Advances in robotic technology allow surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery with fewer incisions,” said Dr. Kroh. “As a result, patients experience less pain, less scarring and a faster recovery.”

Combining magnetic technology with a surgical robot enhances minimally invasive surgery and provides benefits for both patients and surgeons.

Reflecting on the first case using a surgical robot with magnetic technology, Dr. Kroh highlighted the use of one of the robotic arms equipped with a surgical camera. “It’s an advantage for the surgeon to control the robotic arm with the camera to see inside the body and visualise tissues and organs during surgery. Without the robot, the surgical camera would be placed on a thin rod, and I would communicate with an assistant to ask them to move the camera.”

With magnetic technology, surgeons can use the magnet to gently manipulate tissues and organs as needed during the surgery.

For the first case, Dr. Kroh and lead surgeon Dr. Andrew Strong used magnetic technology to gently move the liver and view the stomach while the abdominal procedure was performed laparoscopically. Without magnetic technology, an additional incision would have been needed so that a surgical assistant could hold the liver in place during surgery using a laparoscopic instrument.

Dr. Kroh said that with fewer incisions, patients experience less pain and scarring. “In addition, research shows there may be a faster recovery when magnetic technology is used to hold the liver in place during a procedure instead of a surgical instrument,” said Dr. Kroh.

Before the FDA approved the magnetically assisted surgical robot, Dr. Kroh and his colleagues observed the use of the platform in cases performed internationally. The research paper, published in Annals of Surgery Open, concluded that the robotic platform brings the benefits of magnetic surgery by reducing incisions and gives the surgeon full control of the camera.

“Robotic technologies will increasingly incorporate more advanced navigation and imaging systems to allow us to operate more effectively and safely,” said Dr. Kroh.

In August 2023, the magnetically assisted robotic surgery platform was approved by the FDA for abdominal surgeries, including gallbladder removal and bariatric surgery.

Since the first case at Cleveland Clinic in September, Dr. Kroh and his team have successfully performed further procedures using the robotic platform, including a gastric bypass procedure.

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About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical centre that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based on the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States.  

U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 72,500 employees worldwide are more than 5,050 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,800 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties.  Cleveland Clinic is a 6,500-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 21 hospitals, more than 220 outpatient facilities, and locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England.

In 2021, there were 10.2 million outpatient visits, 304,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 259,000 surgeries across Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries.  

Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

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