CT hospital launches supermicrosurgery care. Think of it using ‘smallest instruments on the planet’

Hartford Courant – Tuesday, April 1, 2025
By Pamela McLoughlin

It’s part of the growing use of robotics for patient care.

Yale New Haven Hospital has made a major breakthrough for reconstructive and lymphatic surgery patients by becoming the first in New England and fifth center in the United States to use the Symani Surgical System robot.

The robot is designed to treat complex patient problems in the field of reconstructive surgery, lymphatic surgery, peripheral nerve repair and trauma.

“Patients at Yale New Haven Hospital will now have access to the most advanced world-class treatment options through the use of the Symani robot,” said Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, chief, plastic and reconstructive surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital and professor of surgery, Yale School of Medicine.

“This technology allows us to replicate natural hand movements at a microscopic scale using the smallest instruments on the planet,” Pomahac said.

Supermicrosurgery is defined as a technique of microneurovascular anastomosis for vessels and single nerve fascicles of 0.3 to 0.8 mm,” according to the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine.

According to Symani Surgical System, its “first-of-its-kind robotic platform designed to provide enhanced precision and control, even in the smallest vessels.”

The company said that it “combines the world’s smallest wristed instruments with tremor-reducing and motion-scaling technologies to address the scale and complexity of microsurgery and supermicrosurgery.”

Symani Surgical System also noted that the “number of skilled specialists capable of performing the most challenging procedures remains extremely low due to the long learning curve and difficulty of performing anastomosis in the smallest vessels.”

Dr. Katherine Heilpern, president of YNHH, added “We are very excited to join the very small group of hospitals in the U.S. and across the world using this robot to treat the most challenging patient conditions, and to bring this cutting-edge technology to our patients and region.”

The ability to work with finer precision helps protect vessels, reduces trauma and reduces the risk of adverse events, according to the health system.

“The field of microsurgery and supermicrosurgery continues to grow, expand and develop each day,” said Dr. Nita Ahuja, chief of surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital and chair of surgery, Yale School of Medicine.

“The use of robotics is a key breakthrough. This will greatly enhance care for patients affected by trauma, cancer, congenital malformations and lymphedema.”

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