Medtronic’s Hugo System Used in First U.S. Commercial Surgery at Cleveland Clinic

• Medtronic announced the first U.S. commercial surgical case using its FDA-cleared Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system, performed at Cleveland Clinic with a robotic-assisted prostatectomy.
• The Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system recently received FDA clearance in the U.S., and its first commercial surgical case was performed at Cleveland Clinic.

Medtronic announced that the first U.S. commercial surgical procedure using its FDA-cleared Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jihad Kaouk at Cleveland Clinic using the recently FDA-cleared system. Dr. Kaouk, professor and chair of the Glickman Urologic Institute, completed the robotic-assisted prostatectomy, and the patient was discharged the day after surgery.

Urology has led the adoption of robotic technology, with about 80% of urologic abdominal surgeries in the U.S. conducted with the assistance of a robotic system, according to Medtronic. This has created a large base of surgeons experienced in robotic-assisted procedures. That high adoption rate provides a foundation for training as new platforms like the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system enter the market and as robotic-assisted approaches become more common across specialties.

The Hugo system features a mobile footprint with modular arms designed to help address operating room scheduling challenges and infrastructure limitations. In addition to Cleveland Clinic, other U.S. hospitals are among the first to install the system, and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center is identified as the first installer that was not part of the IDE clinical study. The system is available in more than 35 countries, and Medtronic plans to expand indications beyond urology into gynecologic and general surgery procedures, including hernia repair.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

Launching in urology is the safest possible proving ground as it’s the one specialty where robotic surgery is already standard practice. If Hugo can win over surgeons here, expansion into other procedures becomes far more credible.

Source: Medtronic