Sydney, Australia, November 20th, 2018: APNE Surgical is pleased to announce that the first surgical procedure performed utilising the FlexDex®Needle Driver has taken place in Australia. Prof. Peter Cosman, performed one gastric sleeve and two single-anastomosis gastric bypasses, each with a hiatal hernia repair, using the FlexDex®Needle Driver at Hurstville Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Prof. Peter Cosman is an experienced upper gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreaticobiliary surgeon.
Prof. Cosman said “The FlexDex®Needle Driver enabled me to be very precise in intracorporeal suturing. Using FlexDex®made both the hernia repair and the anastomosis simpler. It felt more reliable and efficient than standard laparoscopic suturing with less tension on tissues. This is a valuable addition to the laparoscopic armamentarium of the surgeon. With systematic training and 3D technology from Olympus, procedures previously considered very challenging can be conducted without undue risk. Although the action of the Needle Driver is intuitive, mastery of its functions requires training. We are only at the beginning of what surgeon powered robotics will soon allow us to achieve thanks to the intuitive articulation of the FlexDex®technology”.
“It’s extremely exciting to see the FlexDex®technology achieving another step towards global use bringing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to patients in any operating room, anytime, anywhere,” said Dr. James Geiger, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FlexDex®Inc. “With our partner APNE Surgical the launch of the FlexDex®platform in Australia offers surgeons the precision and control they desire while maintaining the balance of cost, outcome and patient benefit”. “Congratulations to Prof. Cosman who is showing great leadership in redefining surgical robotics. The procedures that Peter performed illustrate the great opportunity for FlexDex®in bariatrics, especially the single anastomosis gastric bypasses in Australia and elsewhere in the world.”
The first generation FlexDex®Needle Driver is currently approved for sale in the United States, European Union, Australia, Brazil, Japan, and New Zealand. FlexDex®is developing additional instruments that will enable surgeons around the world to perform advanced laparoscopic procedures without the need of a multi-million dollar robotic system. The company is set toward the path of democratising minimally invasive surgery, making their surgeon-powered robotic platform available in any operating room at any time.
About FlexDex®Inc.
FlexDex®is an innovative medical device company that has developed a platform technology to provide surgeons with high performance and cost effective minimally invasive surgical instruments. The Company’s focus is to enable advanced minimally invasive procedures with greater precision and efficiency bringing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to patients throughout the world. FlexDex®was developed at the University of Michigan by co-founders Shorya Awtar, Sc.D., James Geiger, MD and Greg Bowles. This platform technology enables highly intuitive, one-to-one mapping of the surgeon’s arm and hand motions to the articulating instrument inside the patient’s body. The patented “Virtual Center™” of the FlexDex®platform is a simple mechanical design that, we believe, will greatly enhance the capabilities of all Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) instruments. The FlexDex®Needle Driver, the first instrument of the FlexDex®platform, has been granted the CE mark and is available for sale in the United States and internationally. For more information visit http://www.FlexDex.com
About APNE Surgical Pty Ltd:
APNE Surgical Pty. Ltd. (www.apne.com.au) is the exclusive distributor for FlexDex®in Australia. Its mission is to bring innovative scientifically relevant products to Australia. For more information about FlexDex®in Australia, please email Julien Fouter at julien.fouter@apne.com.auor call Julien at + 6149909790.
