February 2, 2022 – Medtronic and OLV Hospital Aalst today announced that the first clinical procedure in Europe was performed with the Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. The robotic prostatectomy was performed by Prof. Alexandre Mottrie, M.D., head of urology at OLV Hospital in Aalst, Belgium, and chief executive officer and founder of the Belgium-based ORSI Academy, a multidisciplinary center for training, research and development, and data analysis to improve minimally invasive surgery best practices.
A form of minimally invasive surgery, robotic-assisted surgery offers fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, faster return to normal activities, and smaller scars than open surgery.
The Hugo RAS system — Medtronic’s solution to historic cost and utilization barriers that have kept surgical robotics out of reach for many hospitals — is a modular, multi-quadrant platform designed for a broad range of soft-tissue procedures. It combines wristed instruments, 3D visualization, and Touch Surgery™ Enterprise, a cloud-based surgical video capture and management solution, with dedicated support teams specializing in robotics program optimization, service, and training.
“The Hugo RAS system introduces the long-awaited power of choice in the category and will redefine all that robotic-assisted surgery can make possible,” said Henk Westendorp, senior country director Benelux at Medtronic. “Medtronic thoughtfully designed the Hugo RAS system with surgeons in mind and patients at heart to tackle today’s barriers to adoption in a future-proofed way. We know that by innovating real solutions for the way surgeons want to work — alongside partners like OLV Hospital Aalst who share our passion for advancing patient care — we can make a substantial impact.”