Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes business acquired a surgical robot prototype from Orthotaxy in 2018 and offered a first look at its features during the 2019 AAOS Annual Meeting, March 12-16 in Las Vegas, Medical Design & Outsourcing reports.
Five takeaways:
1. The shoebox-sized orthopedic surgery robot can be mounted to an operating table and features a manual saw.
2. The platform designs a surgery plan, then locks the saw in place. No blocks or pinning are required.
3. With a smaller and economical design, the robot is intended for use in standalone orthopedic surgery centers.
4. The device will likely be introduced for knee surgery in 2020. Spine, hip and shoulder indications are expected to come later.
5. The robot doesn't require surgeons to use disposable instruments, a change that could yield cost savings of up to $2,500 per case. DePuy Synthes officials expect that this cost-effectiveness, along with the robot's size and speed, will help health systems justify their costs to CMS.