"The Hugo RAS system introduces the long-awaited power of choice in the category and will redefine all that robotic-assisted surgery can make possible," said Henk Westendorp, senior country director Benelux at Medtronic. "Medtronic thoughtfully designed the Hugo RAS system with surgeons in mind and patients at heart to tackle today's barriers to adoption in a future-proofed way. We know that by innovating real solutions for the way surgeons want to work — alongside partners like OLV Hospital Aalst who share our passion for advancing patient care — we can make a substantial impact."

"We're incredibly proud to have left our stamp on medical history as the very first center in the region to embrace surgical robotics in 1999," said Peter Verhulst, chief executive officer, OLV Hospital Aalst. "Decades later, we are delighted to be recognized as a robotic surgery center of excellence, leaving another indelible mark as the first hospital in all of Europe to offer the Hugo RAS system and the first in the world to have Medtronic's two RAS platforms — the Hugo system for soft tissue and the Mazor™ system for spinal surgery. The OLV Hospital closely monitors innovation in the medical world and often plays a pioneering role in the introduction of new minimally invasive techniques. The worldwide reputation of our OLV doctors in the field of robotic surgery and other minimally invasive procedures is a result of this. With the Hugo RAS system, we are again at the forefront, with the latest medical innovation that is designed with the patient at heart."


The Hugo RAS system is commercially available in certain geographies. Regulatory requirements of individual countries and regions will determine approval, clearance, or market availability. In the EU, the Hugo RAS system is CE marked. In Canada, the Hugo RAS system has a medical device licence. The Hugo RAS system is approved in Australia. In the U.S., the Hugo RAS system is an investigational device not for sale. Touch Surgery Enterprise is not intended to direct surgery, or aid in diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.


About OLV Hospital in Aalst, Belgium
The OLV Hospital offers a wide range of medical consultations, examinations, interventions, treatments and aftercare - both in the outpatient center and inpatient setting - at the campus in Aalst, the branch in Asse and the medical centre in Ninove. OLV Hospital always strives to limit the impact of an intervention on the patient as much as possible so that a quicker recovery is possible. As a result, OLV Hospital is also a pioneer in the field of minimally invasive techniques and precision surgery with the support of the operating robot. The physicians and staff at OLV Hospital do everything possible to provide Top in Care. Besides the physical health of patients, they also want to look after their well-being in all its aspects and in every stage of life.

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