Hansen Medical, Inc., the global leader in flexible robotics and the developer of robotic technology for accurate 3D control of catheter movement, announced that a team of physicians led by Professor Nick Cheshire at St. Mary's Hospital, part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, in London, England, utilized Hansen Medical's Sensei(TM) Robotic Catheter System and Artisan(TM) Control Catheter to aid deployment of stent grafts used to treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm in a 78-year old patient.
Fred Moll, M.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hansen Medical said, We have always believed vascular surgery would provide a very natural application for our Sensei and Artisan robotic technology, and the recent advancement at St. Mary's Hospital demonstrates what is already within reach for our technology in this field. Just as important, the recent experience of clinicians at St. Mary's Hospital clearly demonstrates what physicians can accomplish when they use Hansen Medical's advanced technology to provide more precise movement and control during different types of surgery.
Professor Nick Cheshire explained, The time taken to correctly position a stent graft during the treatment of an aneurysm is highly variable and depends on the complexity of the vascular anatomy. By providing increased catheter stability and accurate navigation, the Sensei system has the potential to greatly simplify the procedure and make it more predictable. In this case, it only took a few minutes to drive the Artisan catheter to the location where the stent was to be deployed.
The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. An abdominal aortic aneurysm results from weakening and swelling of the artery's walls, often as people age, and is frequently fatal if it ruptures. When positioned across the weakened section, stent grafts act as scaffolding that can help prevent the aneurysm from bursting. This surgery was performed through accessing the patient's vascular system at the groin and using Hansen Medical's Sensei system to accurately navigate the Artisan catheter up into the weakened section of the aorta, where the stent grafts were placed.
