We recently had the pleasure of hosting Professor James O. Park, MD, FACS at our Shanghai HQ for preclinical labs to evaluate the modular Carina™ Platform for its application in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) procedures.

A distinguished surgical oncologist specializing in HPB surgery, Professor Park has extensive experience in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery for diseases of the liver, pancreas, bile duct, and upper gastrointestinal tract. He is a pioneer recognized for performing the first robotic liver resection in the US Pacific Northwest and the first robotic Whipple procedure in Washington State, as well as directing the esteemed Robotic HPB Surgery program at the University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center. He now serves as System Chief of Surgical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System and Tisch Cancer Center.

During his hands-on evaluation of Carina, Professor Park praised its ability to achieve hemostasis in critical situations: “I was quite impressed by how effectively the Maryland bipolar grasper achieved hemostasis. I also pushed the limits of the ultrasonic shears to their extremes, and it performed admirably in securing hemostasis within liver parenchyma with sizable hepatic vein branches.”

Professor Park highlighted the advantage of the ultrasonic shears' extended length, which alleviates challenges associated with rigid port placements that many HPB surgeons face: “The harmonic scalpel is typically significantly shorter than other robotic instruments, affecting port placement and complicating resection of dome lesions by requiring repositioning of liver parenchyma toward the instrument. I was pleased to see that the length of Carina’s ultrasonic shears matches that of other instruments, resolving this issue.”

We take pride in having developed ultrasonic shears featuring practical innovations designed to mitigate risks during surgical maneuvers without compromising clinical performance.

Having Professor Park with us brought invaluable insights from a leading expert in HPB surgery. It is always an exceptional opportunity to incorporate knowledge and insights gained from global surgical experts into the continuous enhancement of our surgical armamentarium, ultimately improving surgeon performance and patient outcomes worldwide through Carina Robotic Surgery!