First Robotic Bone-Cut with a Laser Worldwide

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04.07.2019
AOT Carlo

Advanced Osteotomy Tools – AOT AG announced today the First-In-Man clinical use of the CARLO Device at the University Hospital Basel. Advantages of the new approach include enhanced safety, the digitisation of the whole workflow and faster healing of the bones.

For the first time, the cut of human bone was performed with a robotic laser osteotome instead of conventional tools, such as saws, drills or mills. AOT is the first company worldwide to develop a surgical robotic platform, named CARLO, to cut bone with a «cold» photoablation laser, leaving bone structures intact and vital, and thus pioneering the new field of «Laser-Osteotomy».

The present First-In-Man study, a pre-market clinical investigation, intends to demonstrate the performance and safety of CARLO in a clinical context. The three hospitals participating in the study are the University Hospital Basel, the Kantonsspital Aarau, and the Vienna General Hospital (AKH Wien).

The device has undergone an extensive phase of development, design evolution, and testing. Moreover, the performance and safety have been satisfactorily validated in several preclinical studies. It was proven that the bone healing process is faster and the ability to perform freely-defined cutting patterns is offering new and gentler surgical techniques. Furthermore, the laser is universal; in principal one can cut bone from head to toe.

Cyrill Bätscher, CEO of AOT, comments, “We are thrilled to have reached First-In-Man clinical use of CARLO. We anticipate significant clinical interest for this innovative platform once cleared for commercial distribution in the upcoming months.”

Advantages of the new approach include enhanced safety, the digitisation of the whole workflow and faster healing of the bones. «Although the laser itself is not sensitive, CARLO can be stopped with the speed of light and easily removed should anything unforeseen happen. Something that is not possible with today’s conventional robot-assisted devices», Prof. Philipp Jürgens says, Cranio-Maxillo-Facial surgeon at the University Hospital Basel and co-founder of AOT.

«Digitalization does not stop at the operating theaters. The contactless CARLO laser-technology enables to completely digitize the entire patient journey. Moreover, there are no longer mechanical elements involved that deform under load», Dr. Erich Platzer, chairman of the Board underlines.

Ablating bone layer-by-layer
C
ARLO stands for «Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Osteotome». «Cold» ablation describes the approach to ablate bone layer-by-layer with the help of a laser. In contrast, in conventional surgical procedures bones are cut in one go, creating microstructural damage, heat and debris. The advantage of the newly developed method is that the bone does not overheat and the microstructure remains intact and viable, enabling better vascularization and quicker healing.

 

To accomplish this, the laser is mounted on a tactile robotic-arm that was designed specifically for medical use. The device allows the surgeon to perform osteotomies with unprecedented precision, and in freely-defined, curved and functional sectional patient-specific configurations, which are not achievable with conventional instruments.

(Press release)

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