As more procedures migrate from hospitals to outpatient settings, robotic surgery is following suit — but not all technologies are designed with ASCs in mind.
At Becker’s 31st Annual Meeting, Distalmotion’s Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore and Director of Sales Brad Fortune introduced Dexter, a soft tissue robotic surgery platform purpose-built for ASCs.
Here are four key takeaways from their session:
Note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity
1. Dexter is tailored for ASC realities
Unlike traditional surgical robots that require dedicated operating rooms, fixed architecture and extensive capital, Dexter is designed to be small, mobile and cost-effective. It moves easily between rooms and supports flexible workflows.
“Unlike other soft tissue robots, with Dexter, surgeons remain in the sterile field, operating at the console or at the bedside as desired” Ms. Moore said. “This allows the surgeons to remain scrubbed in and move between laparoscopic and robotic techniques seamlessly.”
2. Open architecture and efficient training reduce barriers to adoption
Dexter integrates with existing laparoscopic equipment, avoiding the need for hospitals or ASCs to invest in proprietary visualization systems or accessories. This helps keep procedural costs low and improves return on investment.
Dexter has an instinctive design which enables ease of use and adoption. Ms. Moore emphasized the ease of training: “It takes staff less than two hours to learn how to set up the robot.”
3. Built for high-volume outpatient procedures
The robot is FDA-cleared in the U.S. for three of the top five outpatient soft tissue procedures: inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy and hysterectomy. Ventral hernia and sacrocolpopexy indications are in clinical trials, with others — such as appendectomy and myomectomy — expected to follow.
4. A scalable strategy for health systems and independent centers
DEXTER was developed to simplify operations and bring the benefits of robotic surgery to the growing ASC market — where traditional robotic systems often don’t make sense.
Though still early in its U.S. rollout, Dexter is already in use at several facilities including ASCs.
“We’re still early in the journey, but we are seeing strong demand and encouraging adoption.”
Bottom line for ASC leaders: Dexter aims to break down access barriers to robotic surgery by combining the mobility, interoperability and financial feasibility ASCs need without compromising clinical capability. For centers seeking to grow high-volume surgical lines or attract robotics-trained physicians, it offers a compelling new option.
