There’s a new robot in town.
Auris Health’s MonarchTM Platform made its debut in the Mary Lanning Healthcare Surgical Services Department last week. And the new technology — the first MonarchTM to be used in Nebraska — is a game changer for those facing a lung cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Matthew Stritt, a pulmonologist with Hastings Pulmonary & Sleep Clinic, teamed up with the MLH Respiratory Therapy team to offer bronchoscopy treatment using the robot. Used to view the inside of the lungs and obtain tissue samples for biopsy, the robot enables the pulmonologist to obtain an earlier, more accurate diagnosis of small, hard-to-reach lung nodules.
Dr. Stritt said the new equipment will primarily be used for lung cancer diagnosis but also for obtaining samples of, and diagnosing, inflammatory lung disease.
“The robot allows for advanced maneuverability and can reach areas of the lung that were previously unattainable,” Dr. Stritt said.
The technology integrates the latest advancements in robotics, software, data science and endoscopy (the use of small cameras and tools to enter the body through its natural openings). Mary Lanning Healthcare is among the first hospitals in the United States to utilize the platform, which was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages. Because the MonarchTM Platform provides improved reach, vision and control for bronchoscopic procedures, it holds potential to help us to make a diagnosis earlier,” said Sheri Trindle, MLH Director of Cardiopulmonary Services.“We are excited about the promise of this technology to offer a more hopeful future for our patients with lung cancer.”
More than 90 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer do not survive the disease, in part because it is often found at an advanced stage.
There are a variety of diagnostic options currently available for lung cancer, but all have limitations in accuracy, safety or invasiveness. These limitations can lead to false positives, false negatives, or side effects such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and hemorrhage, which may increase healthcare costs and extend hospital stays.
The MonarchTM utilizes a familiar controller-like interface that physicians use to navigate the flexible robotic endoscope to the periphery of the lung with improved reach, vision, and control. Combining traditional endoscopic views into the lung with computer-assisted navigation based on 3-D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy, the MonarchTM Platform provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.