MMI Micro launches ‘world’s smallest-wristed’ surgical instruments

MMI Micro, an Italian company specialised in improving clinical outcomes for patients undergoing microsurgery, has launched what it claims is “the world’s smallest wristed surgical instruments”.

The company’s system has been awarded the CE Mark, a standard in Europe, and it has already completed the first human use of its Symani Surgical System for open microsurgical procedures.

The first four robotic surgeries were successfully performed in Florence, Italy, including three complex, post-traumatic lower limb reconstructions as well as a post-oncological reconstruction of the pharynx.

Giuseppe Maria Prisco, co-founder and CEO of MMI, says: “There is a clear demand for robotics in microsurgery as the limits of the human hand have already been reached.

“We founded MMI to develop a robotic system designed for and with microsurgeons that will improve outcomes and address unmet patient needs, particularly through supermicrosurgery techniques which are required for lymphatic and other extremely delicate procedures.

“We are pleased to be at the forefront of a new era in robotic surgery as we launch our Symani System in Europe.”

The Symani Surgical System combines the benefits of tremor reduction and motion scaling (7-20x) with the world’s smallest wristed instrumentation, offering seven degrees of freedom and dexterity beyond the reach of human hands.

The system’s NanoWrist instruments are designed to overcome the challenges of free-flap reconstructions, replantations, congenital malformations, peripheral nerve repairs and lymphatic surgery, which together represent over one million procedures annually in the U.S. and Europe alone.

L. Scott Levin, MD, FACS, FAOA, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of the Plastic Surgery Division at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, says: “Microsurgery and supermicrosurgery – as a tool, technique and discipline – continue to evolve.

“The use of robotics holds great promise to advance the specialty of microsurgery and improve care for patients affected by trauma, cancer, congenital malformations and even chronic conditions such as lymphedema.”

Hannah Teichmann, co-founder and vice president of clinical development of MMI, says: “We are proud to bring this innovation to European patients and look forward to enabling surgeons worldwide to address challenging procedures on extremely small anatomy with increased precision, reproducibility and efficiency.”