Levita Magnetics Reaches 1,000th Magnetic Surgery Milestone

Levita Magnetics, a company dedicated to improving surgical outcomes through Magnetic Surgery, announced that the 1,000th procedure using Magnetic Surgery has been performed.
 
The platform represents one of the key surgical advancements in the last decade. Indicated to grasp and retract organs in certain surgical procedures, including bariatric surgery, gallbladder removal, and prostate removal, Magnetic Surgery facilitates access and visualization of the surgical site and enables procedures with a reduced number of incisions, less scarring, fast recovery, and better cosmetic results.
 
With 40 percent of U.S. adults considered obese, and 23 million adults qualifying for weight loss surgery, Magnetic Surgery is set to make a wide impact, particularly in bariatrics. In magnetic bariatric surgery, magnetic tools are used to gently maneuver and retract the liver, essential for visualization of the surgical field. In traditional laparoscopic bariatric surgery, each tool is manipulated through a dedicated port, inserted through its own abdominal incision, restricting movement and cluttering the operative field. Magnetic Surgery is designed to address this limitation, with shaftless magnetic tools controlled by an external magnet on the skin, enabling surgeons to move tools freely in all directions and eliminate a surgical incision.
 
“We have been pleased with the results of Magnetic Surgery to date, helping patients to quickly recover after weight loss surgery and helping surgeons to safely retract the liver and visualize the surgical field,” said Dr. Dana Portenier, division chief at Duke Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery, a longstanding user of Magnetic Surgery products. “We believe that Magnetic Surgery will become the standard of care in bariatrics and other surgical applications.”
 
“Magnetic Surgery is empowering surgeons to offer their patients a less invasive alternative,” said Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro, surgeon, founder, and CEO of Levita Magnetics. “Having been a surgeon for over 10 years, I understand the challenges my peers face when trying to gain proper access to organs.”
 
In addition to Duke University, major healthcare institutions including the Cleveland Clinic, UT Southwestern, and others have performed various surgical procedures using Magnetic Surgery.
 
The Levita Magnetic Surgical System enables reduced-port laparoscopic surgical procedures designed to minimize the footprint of surgery. The system, which consists of an external magnet placed on the skin that controls a shaftless detachable grasper, enables instruments to move without the constraints of a fixed-position pivot point, and facilitates access and visualization of the surgical site. The Levita Magnetic Surgical System is indicated in the United States to grasp and retract the body and the fundus of the gallbladder in laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures, the liver in bariatric procedures and the prostate and periprostatic tissue in prostatectomy procedures to facilitate access and visualization of the surgical site in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 20 to 60 kg/m2.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Levita Magnetics developed the first and only Magnetic Surgery platform, the Levita Magnetic Surgical System. Founded by innovator and surgeon Rodriguez-Navarro, this proprietary technology is designed to evolve minimally invasive surgery with the goal of minimizing the footprint of surgery and improving patient outcomes. It is the first magnetic surgical system to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance.