Obvius Robotics’ Certa Access System Used in FIH Procedures

June 8, 2023—Obvius Robotics, Inc. announced the completion of the first-in-human (FIH) cases with the company’s Certa percutaneous access system.

The Certa system combines image guidance and precise, targeted needle placement in a hand-held device that enables clinicians to quickly, reliably identify target structures such as blood vessels, and rapidly gain access for procedures such as central venous catheter (CVC) placement in the subclavian and jugular veins.

A clinical team at The Sanatorio Italiano in Asuncion, Paraguay, supervised by Principal Investigator Adrian Ebner, MD, successfully placed CVCs during 19 procedures using the Certa device. The median time for access was < 3 minutes, noted the company.

Obvius Robotics advised that the Certa access system is a development-stage device, but the company is preparing for regulatory clearance and commercialization. The company’s first clinical application for Certa is CVC placement, in which the system has the potential to aid clinicians of varying levels of training and experience in safely and effectively achieving vascular access.

William Cohn, MD, who is Chief Medical Officer of Obvius Robotics, is the inventor of the Certa access system.

“We know that early CVC insertion yields the best results in reducing mortality and hospitalization in acutely ill intensive care unit and emergency room patients,” commented Dr. Cohn in the company’s press release. “Certa enables clinicians of various levels of experience to quickly and reliably treat these patients, and in so doing, democratizes and standardizes a common procedure that today requires a certain level of skill and experience.”