Healthcare Industry News: minimally invasive surgery
News Release - June 6, 2007
Immersion Medical Introduces LaparoscopyVR(TM) Surgical Simulation System
First laparoscopy surgical simulator designed as a complete system with tightly integrated TouchSense(R)-enabled haptic hardware and softwareSAN JOSE, Calif.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ: IMMR ), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced that Immersion Medical has introduced the LaparoscopyVR(TM) Surgical Simulation System (http://www.immersion.com/medical/products/laparoscopy/).
The LapVR System, including hardware and software designed by Immersion Medical, comes in a self-contained cart and provides an effective and convenient tool to assist in training of minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. Because of shorter patient recovery times and other benefits, as many as 70% of all high-volume surgeries in the U.S. are performed using laparoscopic techniques, and the trend is expected to continue (1). The LapVR surgical simulator supplies a safe and effective training platform to help acquire the skills needed to perform these surgeries.
The LapVR System was designed by reviewing the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) guidelines endorsed by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), conducting in-depth research of training needs, and receiving input from surgeons at world renowned institutions.
"The LapVR surgical simulator has been developed as a tool for teaching the basic and advanced laparoscopic skills that enable successful completion of complex laparoscopic procedures," said Dr. Andrew J. Duffy, assistant professor of surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. "Simulation training is now an essential component of the education curriculum in many training centers and augments direct instruction from the attending physician. Immersion Medical's development team understands the unique issues and challenges of training surgeons in the 21st century and is dedicated to designing and manufacturing a product that can help improve surgical skills."
The base laparoscopy surgical simulator includes an Essential Skills module with 15 skill exercises, a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LapChole) module with 18 cases, and an Administration module. The Essential Skills module includes unique exercises for developing camera navigation, cutting, clipping, adhesiolysis, and hand transfer skills. The LapChole module provides a simulated environment for removal of the gall bladder, one of the most common types of laparoscopic surgeries in the U.S.
"The essential skills and procedures in the LapVR System provide valuable training for surgical students and help prepare them for laparoscopic surgery," said Dr. Aurora D. Pryor, director of Duke University minimally invasive surgery at Durham Regional Hospital, who also holds a biomedical and electrical engineering degree. "I was particularly interested in helping the company provide an accurate simulation of the tactile forces and camera behavior experienced in laparoscopic surgery. Trainees need to learn to interpret the 2D camera view into what makes sense within the 3D body cavity. This is an acquired skill, and I think medical trainees will like and benefit from practicing on this system."
The LapVR surgical simulator provides physics-based simulation that responds to user actions. Immersion Medical's TouchSense® technology supports these responses with realistic graphical movement of tissue and organs and realistic forces felt through the trocar arms and handles. The surgical simulation system comes with widely viewable monitor suitable for team training, virtual camera and tools, and modules packaged in an ergonomic, height-adjustable, wheeled cart. It also includes a curriculum that follows industry training standards, providing key material needed to administer effective training programs for both individuals and teams. Institutions can also import their own didactic video content directly into the simulator for customized training.
The surgical simulator's Administration module sets out a suggested curriculum and also lets training administrators edit skills and procedures, set task parameters, create and assign courses to meet the needs of individuals and groups, and review and report on user performance. In addition, import, export, e-mail, and print capabilities are available within the Administration module.
"With the Administration module, the fact that you can keep electronic records and automatically track user practice time and progress is a great aid for medical education programs," said Dr. Joseph A. Iocono, pediatric surgeon and education director of the minimally invasive surgery Center at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. "Program directors are also able to individualize courses based on the student's strengths and weaknesses, and that, in my opinion, is an ideal feature for everyone involved."
"We set out to provide very high-quality virtual reality simulations of the laparoscopic environment, which requires software that takes full advantage of the capabilities of the hardware," said Mark Meents, vice president of marketing and sales at Immersion Medical. "We intend to expand our modules and procedures to make the system one of the most extensive in the virtual reality simulation field. It was designed as a multispecialty platform with the ability to support general surgery, colon-rectal, bariatric, gynecological, and orthopedic specialties."
(1) The U.S. Market for Medical Devices - Opportunities and Challenges for Swiss Companies, Swiss Business Hub USA, Chicago, 2004.
About Immersion Medical, Inc. (www.immersionmedical.com)
Immersion Medical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets computer-based surgical simulation training systems (http://www.immersion.com/medical/surgical_sim.php) worldwide. The systems integrate proprietary computer software and tactile feedback robotics to create highly realistic medical procedure simulations that help train clinicians. The company's key product lines are the Endoscopy AccuTouch® Simulator, CathLabVR(TM), and LaparoscopyVR(TM) System.
About Immersion (www.immersion.com)
Founded in 1993, Immersion Corporation is a recognized leader in developing, licensing, and marketing digital touch technology and products. Using Immersion's advanced touch feedback technology, electronic user interfaces can be made more productive, compelling, entertaining, or safer. Immersion's technology is deployed across automotive, entertainment, industrial controls, medical training, mobility, and three-dimensional simulation markets. Immersion's patent portfolio includes over 600 issued or pending patents in the U.S. and other countries.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of Immersion Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
All statements, other than the statements of historical fact, are statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements, including any projections of earnings, revenues, or other financial matters; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning consumer response that may occur as a result of the new simulator release, or consumer or market acceptance of simulator products for medical training, continuing education or evaluation or consumer and market acceptance of force feedback products in general; proposed products or services; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; statements of belief; and any statement or assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Immersion's actual results might differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business which include, but are not limited to, delay in or failure to achieve commercial demand for our products or a delay in or failure to achieve the acceptance of force feedback as a critical user experience.
For a more detailed discussion of these factors, and other factors that could cause actual results to vary materially, interested parties should review the risk factors listed in our most current Form 10-Q, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect our beliefs and predictions as of the date of this release. We disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of financial, business, or any other developments occurring after the date of this release.
Immersion, the Immersion logo, AccuTouch, CathLabVR, LapVR, LaparoscopyVR, and TouchSense are trademarks of Immersion Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Immersion Corp
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