Distalmotion’s Dexter transforms outpatient hernia repair, delivering cost-effective robotic excellence with surgeon-centric innovation.
Image Source | Public Domain : First Patients in U.S. Treated with Distalmotion's Dexter Surgical Robot in the Outpatient Setting
Two patients were treated for inguinal hernia repair using Distalmotion’s Dexter Surgical Robot within 30 days of FDA De Novo marketing authorization.
Less than 30 days after receiving FDA De Novo marketing authorization, Distalmotion’s Dexter Surgical Robot has successfully treated the first U.S. patients in an outpatient setting. Two adult inguinal hernia repairs were completed with Dexter on November 26, 2024.
“With over 90 percent[i] of inguinal hernia repairs in the U.S. performed in outpatient and ambulatory surgical settings, there is a need for robotic solutions tailored to these environments” commented Greg Roche, Distalmotion’s CEO. “We are thrilled to demonstrate how Dexter can overcome the traditional barriers of cost, space, and workflow disruption in the outpatient setting, while delivering robotic excellence that elevates surgeon and patient care.”
Distalmotion’s mission is to empower robotic surgery excellence across all sites of care, including hospital outpatient (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), by expanding access and improving care with robotic assisted surgery. The Dexter Surgical Robot is designed to address the growing demand for cost-effective and efficient solutions for high volume procedures in these settings. Its mobile design, small form factor, and open platform design make it particularly well-suited to outpatient environments, enabling hospitals and ASCs to optimize resources while still accessing the latest technologies and best-in-class surgical tools. Dexter seamlessly integrates into existing operating workflows and is fully compatible with current operating room equipment, protecting hospitals' existing investments. Additionally, its single-use instruments remove the complexities of reprocessing, further enhancing workflow efficiency.
A team of surgeons at UC San Diego Health were the first to perform the surgery. Garth R. Jacobsen, MD, Professor of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Director of the UC San Diego Comprehensive Hernia Center, along with his partner Ryan Broderick, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Surgeon at UC San Diego Health, leveraged the world-class facilities at the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego to launch the robotic system.
Unique to Dexter, the surgeon remains sterile at the console enabling direct and quick access to the patient at any point during the procedure. This empowers surgeons with flexibility to choose the best technique for each step of the procedure. Dexter is designed to be the “surgeon’s robot” that provides the physician complete control of the procedure to optimize patient outcomes.
With more than 1,400 patients successfully treated in Europe, Distalmotion’s extensive experience has paved the way for bringing this innovation to the U.S. market.