Ion (the robot surgeon for a biopsy of lungs)

2019: Beginning of sales

On February 19, 2019 the Intuitive Surgical company announced the beginning of sales of the Ion system — the robotic surgical platform on the basis of a catheter intended for carrying out minimum invasive biopsy of deep tissues of lung.

The first the batch of deliveries of Ion is limited to several copies and expected the American market. Broader sales of the equipment will begin during the first quarter 2019.

In February, 2019 Intuitive Surgical begins sales of the robot for a biopsy of easy Ion

The Ion system includes a hinged robotic catheter with an outer diameter only 3.5 mm which is capable to be bent of 180 degrees in all directions that allows the doctor to move easily a catheter on narrow and twisting airways to a tumoral node. An ultrathin catheter with the improved maneuverability allow to take biopsiyny material from the most hardly accessible peripheral segments of a lung.

The needle of the Flexision Biopsy Needle system intended for a biopsy of tumoral tissue of lungs is also capable to be painless through Ion catheter bends. Besides, on the working channel of a catheter with a diameter of 2 mm other tools for a biopsy, including nippers for a biopsy or cytologic brushes can be carried out. At achievement of a tumoral node the catheter can be recorded for simplification of a biopsy.

The technology of the optical fiber sensor of a form in the Ion system allows the doctor to estimate exact arrangement of a catheter and its bends during all procedure. Representatives of Intuitive Surgical note that they developed the Ion system so that it could be integrated into the existing workflows of a biopsy of tumors of a lung easily. The Ion system can be also integrated with the existing technologies of visualization, such as roentgenoscopy, ultrasonography and conical and beam KT.

The Ion system is included into the package of proposals of minimum invasive surgery of Intuitive company.^[1]

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