Titan Medical (TSX:TMD) today touted the 1st use of its Sport robotic surgical platform in a preclinical feasibility and validation trial at Columbia University Medical Center’s surgical simulation center in New York.

The Toronto-based company said the device had completed “critical surgical tasks integral to successful performance in gynecologic procedures” using the prototype Sport system. The demonstration is the 1st step in the preclinical feasibility and validation studies with the platform, Titan Medical said.

“After using the Sport system, I am more convinced that single-port robotic surgery could become a reality for many patients. Previous approaches to single-incision surgery have been limiting and ineffective. The Sport system demonstrated that it can not only address those limitations, but it may also provide some unique capabilities for enabling a variety of gynecologic surgeries through a single incision. The future of single-port robotic surgery is bright and I am excited to actively participate in this journey with Titan Medical,” Dr. Arnold Advincula of Columbia University said in a prepared release.

“Having completed thousands of multi-port robotic surgeries over several years of practice, I was pleased with the capabilities of the Sport system that eased my transition from a multi-port approach to single-port robotic surgery. The workspace, access and ease of use while maintaining critical multi-port robotic features such as multi-articulated instruments and high-definition 3D visualization through a single incision, are important factors in transitioning from multi-port to single-port robotic surgery. I must say that the Sport system, with its sophistication, makes a highly compelling case for single-port robotic surgery,” Dr. William Burke of Stony Brook University Hospital said in a prepared statement.

Titan Medical added Columbia as a site for preclinical testing of the single-port Sport robotic surgery platform in late September. The company had previously inked a deal with the French Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire de Strasbourg and with the Florida Hospital Nicholson Center to join the feasibility and validation study.

“Continuing on the recent success with the Sport Surgical System in single-port robotic procedures at Florida Hospital Nicholson Center, we are delighted to announce successful Sport system installation and first use at Columbia University Medical Center. The completion of critical tasks including tissue grasping, dissection, suturing, cutting and coagulation through a single incision further validates the potential utility of the Sport system in gynecologic surgery. Under the expert guidance of renowned surgeons Dr. Arnold Advincula at Columbia and Dr. William Burke from Stony Brook, we achieved repeatable and consistent results in establishing the feasibility of the Sport system in a variety of simulated gynecologic procedures. It is important to demonstrate repeated success with the Sport system in a variety of surgical disciplines at each of our Centers of Excellence, and we look forward to upcoming colorectal, urologic and general surgery procedures at the three sites. We remain excited and focused on the Sport system’s potential as a unique single-port robotic system that can provide exceptional clinical value in a variety of abdominal procedures,” prez & CEO David McNally said in a press release.