Friday January 4, 8:30 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Computer Motion Inc.
Robotically Assisted Surgery Performed to Treat Congestive Heart Failure
AESOP® Robotic Endoscopic Positioner Market Expands to Include Use in Interventional Cardiology for Minimally Invasive Placement of Electrical Leads
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 4, 2002-- Computer Motion Inc. (Nasdaq:RBOT - news), the world's leading developer of medical robotic systems, announced today that surgeons from The Institute of Cardiology in Rio Grande Do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil) have performed a series of robotically assisted minimally invasive procedures to treat congestive heart failure.
Joao Ricardo M. Sant'Anna, MD, performed the operations utilizing the Computer Motion AESOP® Robotic Endoscope Positioner through ports in the patient's chest as part of a minimally invasive procedure to insert a biventricular pacemaker electrode into the heart. Dr. Sant'Anna first performed the procedure on a 27-year-old male. He then followed his success performing the same procedure on a 35-year-old male and a 71-year-old female. The procedures were performed in approximately 20 minutes without intraoperative mortality or morbidity.
Severe congestive heart failure is diagnosed in patients with hearts that have a weak pumping action that then causes a buildup of fluid which leads to congestion in their lungs and other body tissues. The heart then tries to make up for this weakening by enlarging and by pumping faster to move more blood through the body. When congestive heart failure develops, the two main pumping chambers of the heart do not work together. The biventricular pacemaker stimulates these two main pumping chambers of the heart to work synchronously, permitting an enlarged and weak heart to pump blood to the body more effectively.
Dr. Sant'Anna commented, ``The normal technique of `biventricular pacing' by placing the electrode in the epimyocardium at the optimal position requires a thoracotomy. With this new minimally invasive procedure, surgeons are able to reduce the trauma related to thoracotomy by implanting the left ventricular epimyocardial electrode endoscopically. The use of the thoracoscopic approach with the AESOP robotic endoscope positioner has also made it possible for us to reduce the procedure time by almost two hours on average.''
Robert W. Duggan, Chairman and CEO of Computer Motion, Inc., stated, ``This is a milestone for the company, as it represents an important first use of our products in the field of cardiology.'' Duggan continued, ``We believe that robotically assisted procedures will continue to gain market share in the treatment of heart disease, and that this is an important step in opening a new and important market for our products.''
Computer Motion is a high-tech medical device company evolving surgical practices to enhance patient lives. The company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary computer-enhanced and robotic surgical systems that enhance surgeons' capabilities, improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Computer Motion plays a significant role in transitioning the surgical community from current open procedures to endoscopic procedures that are less painful and traumatic to the patient. Computer Motion's FDA-cleared products include: the ZEUS® Robotic Surgical System for minimally invasive surgery; the HERMES(TM) Control Center, a centralized system that enables the surgeon to voice control a network of ``smart'' medical devices; and the AESOP® Robotic Endoscope Positioner, which was also the first FDA-cleared surgical robot to be made commercially available in the U.S. The company's newest product, the SOCRATES(TM) Telecollaboration System, is the first device to be cleared by the FDA in the newly created category of Robotic Telemedicine Devices, and is designed to facilitate surgeon collaboration using video and audio conferencing, shared control of the endoscopic camera, and video annotation on the surgical image in the operating room. The company's products are CE-Marked for commercial sale in the European Community. The company's Web site is www.ComputerMotion.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the company's business and products. Actual results may differ materially depending on a number of risk factors, including the risks of competition and competing technologies, duration or suspension of clinical studies, regulatory clearances and approvals, and physician, hospital and payor acceptance of the company's products. These factors and other risks inherent in the company's business are described from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The company undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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Contact:
Computer Motion Inc.
Stephen Pedroff, 805/685-3729, ext. 232
Dan Tamkin, 805/685-3729, ext. 166 (Investor Relations) |
