In Chile... A Medical Robot More Compassionate Than a Doctor's Scalpel

A robot using a strong magnet to perform less invasive and more efficient surgeries completed its first international medical procedure this week, a cholecystectomy, at a public hospital in Chile, according to the technology developer. The California-based startup "Levita Magnetics" that manufactured the robot stated that the surgical system (Mars) at the Luis Tisnies Hospital in the Chilean capital Santiago allows surgeons to "attach a small magnet to internal organs, such as the liver, and use two robotic arms equipped with a strong magnet on the patient's abdomen to move internal organs out of the way." Alberto Rodríguez Navarro, the doctor and founder of "Levita Magnetics," noted that the system also "gives the surgeon control of the camera, allowing for better and much more stable visibility. Vision is everything during surgery." Rodríguez Navarro told Reuters after the surgery, "It’s better for the patient, as there are fewer incisions, less pain, and a faster recovery." He added, "For the surgeon, it’s better because it allows him to be more efficient and enables the system to perform more surgeries daily." The system received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September and conducted its first commercial surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio in October.