Ivy N Haskins, MD, Andrew T Strong, MD, John H Rodriguez, MD, FACS, Matthew D Kroh, MD, FACS. Section of Surgical Endoscopy, Department of General Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Introduction: Magnet assisted surgery is a new platform within the field of minimally invasive surgery. The Levita™ Magnetic Surgical System, the first magnetic surgical system to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, includes a deployable, magnetic, five centimeter bowel grasper and an external magnet that is used to manipulate the grasper within the peritoneal cavity. This system is approved for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a body mass index (BMI) less than 34 kg/m2. Herein, we detail the first U.S. experience with the Levita™ Magnetic Surgical System during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Methods: The Levita™ Magnetic Surgical System was used on consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy at our institution from June 2016 through July 2016. Baseline patient characteristics, operative time, and perioperative details were collected.
Results: A total of six patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with the Levita Magnetic Surgical System during the defined study period. The mean age at the time of surgery was 49.5 years, the mean BMI was 30.8 kg/m2, three (50.0%) patients were male, and three (50.0%) patients had a history of previous abdominal surgery. Cholecystectomy was indicated for chronic cholecystitis in 3 (50.0%) patients, symptomatic cholelithiasis in 2 (33.3%) patients, and biliary pancreatitis in 1 (16.7%) patient. The average operative time was 60.3 minutes. The use of the Levita™ Magnetic Surgical System allowed the operating surgeons to eliminate the right lateral trocar without an increase in operative time. There were no perioperative complications. Four (66.7%) patients were discharged to home on the day of surgery and two (33.3%) were discharged to home on postoperative day number one. Surgeons reported that the magnetic grasper was easy to use and provided adequate tissue retraction.
Conclusions: The Levita™ Magnetic Surgical System appears safe and feasible in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Routine use of this system may facilitate a reduction in the total number of laparoscopic trocars used, potentially leading to less tissue trauma and improved cosmesis. Additional studies are needed to determine the applicability and utility of this system for other general surgery cases.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 79582
Program Number: P420
Presentation Session: Poster (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Poster
