Tampa General and USF Health to Bring World's Most Precise Robotic Surgical Technology to Florida

The Agreement, Established as Part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ Trade Mission to Italy, Makes Tampa General Hospital the First Health System in the Southeastern United States to Offer Robotic-Assisted Lymphatic Microsurgery.

MILAN, Nov. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida announced today an agreement with Medical Microinstruments, Inc., or MMI, to bring the Symani Surgical System, a first-of-its-kind robotic technology, to support lymphatic surgery at TGH. This will be the first and only technology of its kind available in the Southeastern United States and is expected to improve patient outcomes for the most complex procedures involving delicate anatomy.

“At Tampa General Hospital, we’ve invested in the latest technologies and recruited best-in-class providers to make Florida the destination for innovation in health care,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “Now, with the support of Governor Ron DeSantis and our state leaders, we’re opening doors to new partnerships and introducing more of the world’s best technologies in health care to Florida. Because of these efforts, our patients can count on us for world-class care, better outcomes and a higher quality of life.”

USF President Rhea Law said the agreement with MMI will enhance USF Health and TGH’s position as one of the nation’s leading academic health systems.

“This unique and exciting partnership brings together the very best from both academic medicine and private industry to achieve progress in health care for Floridians who otherwise would not have access to this innovative surgical system in our state,” Law said. “We are grateful to Governor DeSantis and our state leaders for their support in helping us improve lives and build a healthier future.”

“Congratulations to everyone involved in today’s MOU signing,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida boasts the best in health care, medical technology, and innovation, and we will continue to support our businesses and hospitals in forging new paths and partnerships. This new robotic surgical technology will increase the quality of life for those battling or recovering from cancer and make procedures for Floridians more precise and less invasive.”

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said this innovation showcases the strength of academic medicine.

“We appreciate that Governor DeSantis and our state legislators understand and support the innovative nature of academic medicine,” said Dr. Lockwood, who also serves as executive vice president and chief academic officer at TGH. “Our faculty physicians have the expertise to bring cutting-edge care to our patients in even the most complex cases.”

The agreement was reached during a trade mission to Italy this week hosted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis. President Law formally signed the agreement with MMI during a special ceremony in Italy. Nicholas J. Panetta, M.D., FACS, chief of Tampa General Hospital Plastic Surgery and chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery in the Morsani College of Medicine, and Eduardo M. Sotomayor, M.D., director of the TGH Cancer Institute, also joined the trade mission.

MMI’s Symani Surgical System uniquely addresses the scale and complexities of microsurgery and supermicrosurgery to restore quality of life for more patients and enable more surgeons to perform complex procedures for delicate anatomy. The system features smaller robotic components coupled with enhanced controls so that surgeons can suture tiny vessels and nerves as small as .2 millimeters in diameter.

“The problem of cancer-related lymphedema that this collaboration is focused on tackling is significant. Unfortunately, today there is only a handful of surgeons with the skills necessary to treat this often-debilitating condition. The collaboration between MMI, USF and TGH is going to make substantial progress for patients on this front,” said Dr. Nicholas Panetta, chief of TGH Plastic Surgery and chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“TGH Cancer Institute is very fortunate to be working with Dr. Panetta’s team in building a unique microsurgery and reconstructive oncology program at USF/TGH with a particular focus in breast cancer patients, that would be among the best in the nation and worldwide,” said Dr. Sotomayor.

MMI’s Symani Surgical System is a less invasive surgical treatment for reconstructions and lymphedema. Patients who benefit from the technology experience reduced vessel trauma and require fewer additional procedures.

Surgeons who use MMI’s Symani Surgical System can accelerate the development of their microsurgical skills and generate higher success rates while reducing adverse events.

MMI’s Symani Surgical System is just the most recent addition to Tampa General’s host of technologies that support minimally invasive surgical procedures. In August, TGH announced the acquisition of the new Intuitive da Vinci 5® Surgical System. Tampa General was the first hospital in the region to offer the new surgical system.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 Best Hospitals, with two medical specialties ranking among the top 20 in the nation and eight medical specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2024 America’s Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America’s Best Employer’s by State and the 2023 America’s Best Employers for Women, Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2022, provided a net community benefit of approximately $240.3 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes TGH North which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

About USF HEALTH

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health’s multispecialty physicians’ group. The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report’s national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.

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