FlexDex

Author
Team Zorg Enablers
Published on
20-11-2019
Category
Implementations | Treatment & Guidance

Robotic surgical systems have made great strides in recent years and have become permanent fixtures in the workings of advanced surgical facilities. They are used in procedures such as minimally invasive, laparoscopic or exploratory surgery. However, since the required investments of money and time make it unfeasible to perform all interventions using surgical robots, a suitable balance must be found. The Máxima Medical Centre (MMC) plays a leading role in laparoscopic surgery in the Netherlands. In mid-2018, the hospital brought a new innovation into service: a robotic surgical arm called FlexDex.

FlexDex is designed in particular for surgeons who carry out laparoscopic operations in the abdominal and chest cavities. It is an innovative instrument that helps them perform all the necessary laparoscopic stitching. FlexDex is operated by the surgeon’s hand movements. ” We refer to this as human-guided robotic surgery,” explains Hubert Prins, a former gastrointestinal surgeon now in charge of training and professional development courses for laparoscope operators at the Alphatron Surgical company. The instruments vanish into the abdominal cavity through a small incision. FlexDex works in combination with a 3D laparoscopic technique, which provides the surgeon with an exact view of where the stitching is to take place. The tip of the instrument can manoeuvre with a 360-degree rotation inside the body, rigorously following the surgeon’s hand and wrist movements.

“We’ve had positive reactions from the MMC with regard to FlexDex,” continues Prins. FlexDex has a control mechanism that is intuitive, gives tactile feedback, is quickly mastered and is disposable. It not only makes performing surgery less taxing by reducing shoulder movements, but it also allows surgeons to operate in difficult-to-reach places within the body. And because the instruments can move with greater precision, less damage is done to surrounding tissues. The tinier the wound, the faster the patient’s recovery and the smaller the chance of complications.

FlexDex also saves money. The acquisition and maintenance expenses are but a fraction of the costs of other surgery robots with similar functionalities. “Up to €4000 per intervention can be saved in comparison to other robots.”  That is because FlexDex system has no docking time and can be used in every operating theatre; the use of the robotic arm also does not require a large team of doctors and nurses who have undergone weeks of training. All this enables hospitals to substantially ease the financial pressures of robotic interventions.

It is important to systematically plan robotics implementation in advance, including an assessment of the expected impact on the patient care process as a whole. The entire playing field of stakeholders should be taken into consideration. The safety of both patients and professionals is paramount. The MMC began with a pilot programme that included an experienced laparoscopic surgeon. Several more surgeons at the MMC are now being trained to operate using FlexDex. The training programme takes place outside the hospital’s ordinary programme of surgery. This enables surgeons to become proficient in the use of FlexDex within a relatively short time.

The only instrument currently delivered with FlexDex is the ‘needle master’. In future, the robotic arm will be developed further, enhanced with new instruments and validated in clinical trials. “We hope FlexDex will help us disrupt the paradigm under which surgeons had to choose between high cost–high function and low cost–low function,”  Prins concludes.

 

 

Alphatron Surgical

Alphatron Surgical is the Dutch distributor of FlexDex precision instrument, and it also provides training and support in the use of the system. The device is designed by the US firm FlexDex, Inc. Alphatron Surgical strives to introduce innovations to the operating theatre that enable surgeons to perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively.