University Hospital Basel already contributed extensively to the development of the bone cutting robot-assisted device CARLO. According to a statement, the hospital also holds a minority stake in the manufacturing company Advanced Osteotomy Tools AG, a spin-off of University Hospital Basel and the University of Basel.
As a result of this collaboration, the first available CARLO will soon come into use in Basel. The technique currently undergoing applied research and it will take until 2018 before CARLO is certified for clinical use, at which point the robot-assisted device will be used on patients for the first time.
CARLO (Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Osteotomy) can perform cuts five to ten times more precisely than is possible with a conventional bone saw. In addition to performing straight cuts, it can also cut in curves or wavy lines. And as CARLO can also cut out portions, it is possible to cut in a manner that enables the fastest possible healing. The patient benefits from the gentle method as it is expected to lead to fewer complications.
During the treatment, a surgeon programmes a computer that controls CARLO. But while the surgeon overseas the procedure, it is otherwise performed automatically and without contact by the robot-assisted device. According to the statement, a new dimension in medical technology will be achieved through the use of CARLO.
