SS Innovations announced the first robotic cardiac surgery in the Americas and Western Hemisphere was successfully performed using the company’s SSi Mantra 3 surgical robotic system.

Dr. Juan Zuniga, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Interhospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador became the first surgeon to accomplish this on June 8. The surgery involved a robotic atrial septal defect closure, a procedure that repairs a hole between the upper two chambers of the heart.

“On the heels of SSi Mantra’s debut in Latin American robotic surgeries, we decided to leverage this advanced system in complex specialties, particularly in cardiovascular surgeries,” Dr. Zuniga told the press. “The experience was good, this equipment was very easy to handle and manipulate, and the results were effective as we did a transesophageal echocardiogram to verify the complete closure of the communication between the two upper chambers of the heart. We were very happy with the results in achieving a successful closure and the patient is recovering very well.”

Last month, the company announced its SSi Mantra surgical robotic system has been used to successfully perform over 4,000 robotic surgeries. SS Innovations also revealed in May that is planning to submit a de novo classification request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the SSi Mantra 3 surgical robotic system in July.

Dr. Zuniga went on to describe his experience using the SSi Mantra system for the first time: “Because it is a minimally invasive procedure, the recovery is much faster, bleeding much less, and since it is done robotically, the manipulation of the tissues is much more precise, and so is the suturing. It gives the surgeon the confidence that every stitch that is made with the platform is placed precisely and without complication.”

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