The new system approvals and indications set the stage for significant access across Europe , North America and Asia – extending the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to new global audiences .

As a form of minimally invasive surgery , robotic-assisted procedures offer patients fewer complications , shorter hospital stays and faster return to normal activities .

Together , general surgery , urology and gynaecology account for more than 80 % of all RAS procedures performed globally . General surgery is the fastest-growing segment within robotic surgery . It encompasses several different surgical specialities including hernia repair , the fourth most common surgery performed globally .

" Receiving these important approvals paves the way for our expansion into key robotic markets ," said Mike Marinaro , Senior Vice President and President , Surgical Robotics – which is part of the Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic . " The Hugo RAS system was designed to address the barriers to robotic surgery adoption , and these approvals are significant steps in bringing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to more patients in more places around the world ."

Medtronic ' s expansion into surgical robotics represents a significant growth opportunity for the company and builds on its more than 60 years of experience in surgical and healthcare innovation in partnership with clinicians around the world .

The Hugo RAS system – combined with Touch Surgery Enterprise – offers a smart , digitally enabled surgical experience , and is already being used in general surgery procedures at hospitals in the Asia Pacific and Latin America regions . The procedures range from common to more complex and include cholecystectomy , inguinal hernia repair , gastric bypass and lower anterior resection .

A modular system , Hugo combines wristed instruments , 3D visualisation and Medtronic ' s Touch Surgery Enterprise , a cloud-based surgical video capture and management solution , with dedicated support teams specialising in robotics programme optimisation , service and training . Touch Surgery Enterprise is a first-of-its-kind AI-powered platform that makes sharing surgical video simple and provides surgeons with a powerful new training tool .

" These regulatory approvals are a major step in expanding the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to patients around the world . We truly believe that AI-assisted robotic surgery will transform the operating room ," said Dr Carla Peron , Chief Medical Officer , Surgical Robotics at Medtronic . " Our team is thrilled to begin partnering with more surgeons and customers to help build and grow their robotic surgery programmes in this hugely important area of healthcare ." �

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