Accelus has announced the successful completion of the first cases utilising its Remi robotic targeting and navigation platform with its LineSider posterior fixation system.
Neurosurgeon and Accelus chief robotics officer, Kevin Foley, who was also a key contributor in the development of the robotic navigation system, performed the first Remi case using LineSider at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis (Memphis, USA) in December 2021.
Since then, successful procedures using Remi with LineSider have also been performed by Kornelis Poelstra at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center (Las Vegas, USA), Pierce Nunley at Specialists Hospital Shreveport (Shreveport, USA), and Richard Hynes at Melbourne Regional Medical Center (Melbourne, USA).
Remi is a robotic targeting and navigation platform that provides robotic-assisted pedicle screw placement for surgeons performing lumbar spine fixation. It is designed, say Accelus, to provide the same precision and accuracy as legacy spinal robotic systems but with a smaller footprint, optimised procedural workflow, shorter setup and teardown times, and economically accessible pricing.
“The goal with Remi was to address the limitations of current spinal robotic systems—inefficient workflow, large footprints and high cost—while providing the same accuracy,” said Foley. “LineSider adds to this efficiency with its versatile and streamlined instrumentation. I have been extremely pleased with my first cases utilising Remi with the LineSider system.”
The Remi robotic navigation system is comprised of a workstation that serves as the primary user interface, an ultra-lightweight nearfield camera and a four-pound robotic targeting platform. Both the camera and targeting platform are attached to the operating room table, minimising the system’s footprint, say Accelus.
Its camera also features a wide angle of capture designed to track instrumentation throughout the surgical field and minimise the line-of-sight issues commonly experienced with legacy spine surgery robotic platforms.
Remi’s workstation features a touch-screen computer that receives the intraoperative 3-D images and automatically registers the navigation system to the patient’s anatomy. The computer sits atop a 30-inch by 30-inch system cart that the company claims is easily transportable and provides storage for all the system’s components when not being used in surgery. Accelus add that this compact footprint makes it suitable for use in all facilities, including ASCs and hospitals with smaller operating rooms.
“Remi represents a substantial evolution in robotic spine surgery as we desired greater efficiency for our robotic-assisted cases,” said Poelstra. “Remi seamlessly integrates with my surgical workflow due to its fast setup time and provides highly accurate and consistent screw placement to help reduce variability and improve my patient outcomes. It has been great fun using it in my operating room.”
Remi is designed to simplify surgical workflow and provide procedural efficiencies. In a study published in The Cureus Journal of Medicine in 2021, the Remi robotic targeting and navigation system was determined to have significantly shorter procedure workflow duration while maintaining equivalent accuracy as compared to the most common alternative robotic spine platform1. The average total procedure time using the Remi system was 36.6 minutes compared to a total procedure time of 55 minutes using an alternative legacy robotic system.
“We believe these procedural efficiencies will offer significant economic benefits to facilities, in addition to its already attractive price point,” said Chris Walsh, CEO and co-founder of Accelus. “Our goal is to accelerate the move to minimally invasive spine surgery, and we believe these advantages will make Remi easily accessible to cost-constrained facilities, such as ambulatory surgery centres, and eventually international markets.”
Nunley, who recently performed the first four-level surgery using the Remi with the LineSider system, added: “Remi’s simplified, intuitive design made it easy to incorporate into my procedural workflow. Its rapid system positioning and efficient setup and breakdown may even provide the potential to treat more patients.
“I also like the fact that it helps me perform an minimally invasive procedure with reduced need for interoperative fluoroscopic images, helping reduce radiation exposure for my patients and staff. This is potentially disruptive and a ‘game changer’ compared to other current robot technologies.”
References:
1. Soliman M A, Khan A, O’Connor T E, et al. (June 26, 2021) Accuracy and Efficiency of Fusion Robotics™ Versus Mazor-X™ in Single-Level Lumbar Pedicle Screw Placement. Cureus 13(6): e15939. doi:10.7759/cureus.15939
