Stories
Contributing to DX in Surgery and Equalization of Medical Care in Order to Provide Greater Peace of Mind and Safety for Healthcare Professionals, Patients and Their Families
- Meeting the Challenges of a Paradigm Shift in Healthcare with Application of Technology, Knowhow Built up Through Testing, and Diagnostics to the Therapeutic Field -
Amid growing interest in health in our present society, healthcare continues to evolve and advance due to technological innovation and advances in science, while constantly changing in form. In addition to reducing the physical burden on patients and raising their quality of life, we need to provide tools for early detection of diseases and an environment in which healthcare professionals can concentrate on treatment with peace of mind, as well as solutions for the social issue of equalization of medical care by correcting disparities among regions.
In the field of surgery, with the need to raise technology levels in operations and the need for advanced procedures, surgical support robots have been receiving attention. With the use of surgical support robots, the number of cases in which minimally invasive, precise procedures can be carried out has increased, but what kind of value do they have for healthcare professionals and society? Having adopted “Shaping the advancement of healthcare” as a mission in our corporate philosophy, Sysmex has been carrying out initiatives to expand our surgical support robot business both in Japan and globally, as well as those in surgical intelligence and those that promote digital transformation (DX) through open innovation under industry-government-academia collaborations. The purpose of this is to enhance the value we can offer to society and in healthcare, as well as to patients and healthcare professionals.
Our wish is to deliver excellent, safe medical care that is concern-free for healthcare professionals, patients, and their families.
Focusing on an employee forging steadily ahead with high aspirations and great passion, we present his thoughts on the challenges to our medical robotics business, as well as examples of initiatives undertaken with healthcare professionals.
The surgical support robot industry has achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13%, and the size of its global market1 is forecast at around 2 trillion yen in 2030. In this environment, the hinotori™ Surgical Robot System (the “hinotori”) was created in Japan, and its use in clinical settings is increasing.
Until now, Sysmex has developed its business in diagnostic areas such as blood and urine analysis, so what are some thoughts on entering a new area of business and its challenges?
Surgical Support Robots Opening up the Future of Medical Care
The hinotori, Japan-made surgical support robot, has operation arms that move more smoothly than human arms and a full definition 3D system that vividly projects high-definition images showing the smallest details. The hinotori was developed to support surgery with fine, precise movements, as well as to contribute to the evolution of medical care through related products that help raise efficiency in the operating theater.
Dozens of units have been installed in Japanese medical institutions. Through the development of a support center operating 24/7, and a network support system platform that allows the status of surgery to be reproduced on a computer screen so that it can be monitored in real time, we have created a system allowing efficient, concern-free use.
“We are keenly aware of the high expectations of healthcare professionals for Japan-made surgical support robot,” says Yuuki Hata, in charge of planning and sales in Sysmex’s MR Business division. In his previous position, he was involved in consulting on operating theater construction. Seeing the trends toward amazing innovations in AI, IoT, and robotics technologies, he felt that Sysmex’s medical robot business had great potential, and with a desire to contribute to delivering the best medical care joined the company in 2019. Since then, he has been involved in communication with doctors at medical institutions considering the installation of surgical support robots, and a wide range of other stakeholders not only with regard to product installation but also creating an environment in which hinotori’s full potential can be realized in a clinical setting. He has also been putting energy into business development in other countries.
Everything Starts from Dialog with Healthcare Professionals
The first things that will amaze you when you see the actual product are its sophisticated design and unexpected compactness. In the hinotori, various innovations have been made to address the various situations in which healthcare professionals will use it.
Hata says, “In the design, we have focused on slimness for the four arms to minimize interference among them and with the human operator. Another feature is the use of high-level technology that achieves flexibility in connecting parts, allowing them to function like human joints. The cockpit, in which the doctor operates the arms, is ergonomically designed to cater to various operating postures; for example, it reduces the burden on the cervical spine during long hours of surgery. Not only do we install the hinotori main unit, we also propose plans matched to individual facilities, which include provision of a peripheral environment allowing the customer to operate the system safely with peace of mind.”
According to Hata, the many inquiries that Sysmex has received from medical institutions all over Japan considering installing the hinotori show that there are high expectations from the front line of medical practice. He says that prior to installation, close communication is essential with doctors who will operate it during surgery, as well as medical staff involved in perioperative processes, hospital management, consultants, and design offices.
“In addition to inquiring about such aspects as the overall structure of the building and the size of the operating theater, we carry out a field survey to understand the layout of the operating theater and the flow lines of medical staff during surgery, to develop a specific image extending to fine aspects and link this with a proposal for surgical processes. Having the hinotori used in an environment that brings out its full potential is essential. To avoid situations in which hospital staff think it is good to have a medical robot but can’t use it well, with their assistance, we determine potential issues beforehand and find solutions for them, in order to create the best environments for individual facilities.”
In some cases, product installation projects cover stages from examination to installation and are completed in around six months. However, in many other cases Sysmex is consulted at the time of planning a new hospital building, with support starting at the design stage and continuing for several years.
Hata continues, “We often proceed to the stage of starting surgery while having in-depth discussions with doctors on such aspects as how a surgical support robot should be used in creating a system matched to the kind of medical care required in a particular region. As we are also involved in the provision of medical care, we make efforts to consider the medium- to long-term outlook with doctors in responding to their requests.”
Aiming at a World Where People Can Receive High-quality Medical Care Wherever They are Through Telemedicine
According to Hata, after installation of the surgical support robot, they are frequently requested by doctors to be present during pre-surgery simulations or actual surgery to provide support. He has gained insights through interaction with healthcare professionals in the field.
“If we can make surgery more efficient through the installation of the hinotori, this will lighten the burden of doctors, nurses and others working every day in hospitals and improve working practices. There are high-level procedures that can only be performed by a limited number of doctors, who are said to have ‘God’s hands’. By quantifying and visualizing these, we will be able to offer doctors a function for feedback on surgical procedures from the robot by having AI learn these procedures, as well as an assistance function using navigation during surgery. Also, if we can provide an environment in which educational content can be accessed at any time, wherever you are, remote instruction and remote training will be possible. This will allow us to contribute to raising the skills and knowledge of a great many doctors. A setup in which robots and humans work together will not only benefit surgery; it will also be a factor in accelerating a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry. As products and services continue to evolve, this should lead to the establishment of better systems for delivering healthcare.”
He adds that the hinotori is a product that delivers value not only for healthcare professionals but also for patients.
“Surgical support robots have great potential for remote medical care. For instance, as more hinotori robots are installed in regional hospitals, by linking up with hospitals in cities it will be possible to efficiently provide high quality, appropriate medical care with few time or location constraints. The number of medical institutions that have adopted DX or smart hospital concepts is increasing year by year, and interest in surgical support robots in the healthcare industry overall is increasing. By using the opportunity to install products to have operating theaters reorganized, we hope to create a workflow which lightens the burden on healthcare professionals and provides high quality, appropriate medical care to more patients. Also, toward early implementation of remote surgery in which operations are performed by doctors in places geographically distant from patients, we are presently collaborating closely with multiple medical institutions, academic societies, and communications services companies in order to provide extra functions and guidelines matched with on-site needs. It will be great if we can help create a world in which all people involved in medical care can work with ease and patients will be less stressed about going to a hospital. This is a wonderful dream and our mission to realize it acts as a driving force in our daily work.”
To be there for patients throughout their lives
Hata is highly passionate about being involved in medical robotics business and his strong desire to contribute to medical care was triggered by a particular event.
“I was astonished at the news that regional hospitals would close due to the bankruptcy of a local government. Hospitals are a place of refuge for people living in an rural areas and a place of last resort they can go to for help when something happens. I have continued to feel that there are things I can do to help protect these places and improve their situations. Focusing on various phases in people’s Patient Journey2 - consisting of tests when they are in a healthy state, hospitalization when ill, treatment, and their lives post-discharge - I want to continually contribute to raising patients’ quality of life. This is surely the best way of putting Sysmex’s mission of ‘Shaping the advancement of healthcare’ into practice.”
As the installation of the hinotori progresses in Japan, there will be further efforts to expand its use to more medical departments and to other countries, so there is an expectation that it will be used in many different medical scenarios. Hata shows his excitement about the future and his firm belief that Sysmex’s strengths can be used to full advantage.
“For instance, in order to decide on the scope of treatment and select procedures appropriately, tests may be carried out during surgery to determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant, or whether there has been metastasis to lymph nodes. Therefore, we feel able to offer a total solution providing consistent support, through tests before surgery as well as tests and treatment during and following surgery, to dispel patient concerns about recurrence. We will achieve this by creating new value, through combining the technologies and knowhow that Sysmex has built up in testing and diagnostics with the hinotori. This is an amazing and challenging concept, but I feel that we are making steady progress, and the passion of the persons concerned, including myself, is growing. Since Sysmex has long provided new solutions in the areas of testing and diagnostics, I believe that there will be many ways we can contribute to the area of surgery as well. With our mission of ‘Shaping the advancement of healthcare’ firmly in mind, we are committed to achieving further growth in our medical robotics business so that we can continually meet the expectations of healthcare professionals and other stakeholders.”
Going forward, Sysmex aims to continue contributing to the advancement of medical care and people’s health through our medical robotics business.
Column: Japan-made surgical support robot
Medicaroid is a company engaged in the development of surgical support robots. It was established in 2013 through a joint investment by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Sysmex. Kawasaki has focused on industrial robot technologies since succeeding in Japan’s first domestic production of industrial robots over 50 years ago. Sysmex is a provider of instruments and reagents required for in vitro testing to hospitals all over the world, and has extensive networks in the healthcare area. Following marketing and product development efforts, manufacturing and marketing approval was obtained for Japan-made surgical support robot in August 2020, for domestic use in urology. In September of that year, insurance coverage was obtained and in October 2022, expanded application to gastroenterological surgery and gynecology was approved.
As the sole distributor of Medicaroid products, Sysmex aims to promote patient-friendly, minimally invasive surgery, and will work on solving the problems of individual facilities through support for the installation and operation of surgical support robots in clinical settings.
【Note】
| 1 | Market size based on customer purchase prices. Source: TechSci Research, Medicaroid for 2030 forecast. | |
| 2 | Patient Journey: The process beginning with the patient noticing a disease or symptoms - spanning testing, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of recurrence and exacerbation, and extending to the end of life. | |
| * | The purpose of this story is to communicate our business activities to our stakeholders. It may or may not include information about Sysmex's products or their research and development, but this is not intended for promotion, advertising or medical advice. The information contained in this press release is current as of the date of the announcement but may be subject to change without prior notice. | |
- Information contained in the stories is current as of the date of the announcement,
but may be subject to change without prior notice.