LOS ANGELES – Eisenhower Health, a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif., today announced it has deployed the Monarch Platform by Auris Health, a robotic system that can detect lung cancer at an early stage. The hospital is one of the first in the U.S. to deploy the system, which was recently cleared by the FDA for use in diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopic procedures.
The Monarch Platform includes advanced robotics, software, micro-instrumentation, sensing, data science and endoscopy in a single platform to help reduce costs and improve outcomes. The technology utilizes flexible robotics and small cameras and tools to enter the body through its natural openings. The system can enter the lungs and obtain tissue samples for biopsy, “enabling earlier and more-accurate analysis of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the periphery of the lung,” Eisenhower Health said in a statement.
Justin Thomas, M.D.
“Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages,” said Justin Thomas, M.D., director of the Bronchoscopy Laboratory at Eisenhower Health. “This provides improved reach, vision and control for bronchoscopic procedures and is a very important piece of technology that now provides physicians continuous bronchoscopic vision throughout the procedure, leading to earlier detection, better outcomes, and a more helpful future for patients.”
Earlier detection is critical in lung cancer cases, as more than 90% of people diagnosed with the disease do not survive, often due to detection at an advanced stage. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the #1 global leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women, accounting for 1 in 4 cancer deaths.
While several diagnostic options are available for lung cancer, they have limitations in accuracy, safety, or invasiveness, Eisenhower Health said. “Limitations can lead to false positives, false negatives, or side effects such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and hemorrhage, which may increase health care costs and extend hospital stays,” the hospital said.
The Monarch Platform was made possible to Eisenhower Health through a donation from Circle of Stars, a group of all-female philanthropists established by Eisenhower Health’s Foundation. Eisenhower Health is a not-for-profit hospital based on 130 acres in Rancho Mirage, serving the Palm Springs and Southern California region.
In February, Auris Health was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in a $3.4 billion deal, which was completed in April. In August, the company announced that physicians have performed more than 1,000 bronchoscopic procedures through the platform. Auris Health was also named to the RBR50 2019 list of the Top Robotics Companies in the world.
