MADISON, Wis. (WSAW) – Kidney stones were a familiar concept to Stoughton resident Ed Feiteira. His father was diagnosed with the disease in his 80s and was diagnosed in November 2023.
“(The stone) was 22 millimeters. It's like what you'd imagine 'like a lug nut,'” Fateria said. “That won't do anything.”
The lawsuit comes at an opportune time for UW Health, which is conducting clinical trials of a robotic device to treat kidney stones called the MONARCH platform.
According to UW Health, the device is “essentially the same procedure that has historically been used to remove large stones, but is guided by a robotic-assisted device controlled by a urologist.” The doctor holds the device controller and guides the scope and catheter on the screen, but the robotic platform allows the urologist to perform the procedure by allowing more precise movements and potentially reducing radiation exposure and the number of needle sticks. Help you navigate. ”
“This device has the potential to make cases more efficient and potentially improve stone-free rates. It also has the potential to make these cases easier for a single endocrinologist to perform. There are also sexualities,” said Dr. Margaret Knoedler, a University of Wisconsin Health endocrinologist.
Fateria is the 14th patient in the world to undergo the clinical trial, according to UW-Health. Although he had never had surgery before, he was willing to seek help through an experimental method.
“It's frustrating when people are doing things the same way they've always done things,” Fateria says. “If there's something new and it makes sense, I'm all for trying it.”
The afternoon after the surgery, Fateria left the hospital in good spirits.
“This is very exciting. It's kind of pushing the boundaries of what we've done with robots so far,” Dr. Knoedler said. “This is a completely different robot than anything we've used before.”
Future progress can only begin with patients taking a stand.
“Clinical trials are essential to moving the field forward in learning what works and what doesn't in medicine,” said Dr. Knoedler. “There are a lot of regulations when it comes to trials, so everything we do is done as safely as possible.”
Dr. Knoedler said he hopes to recruit 20 people for the trial. Click here for more information about treatment.
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