July 2008 Press Release
Simbionix Releases Powerful New Learning Management System with enhanced True Assessment System™.
July 2008, Cleveland, OH and Denver CO: Simbionix’ eLearning division, eTrinsic, announced the release of version 6.0 of their enhanced Learning Management System (LMS), incorporating the True Assessment System™ (TAS) for data reporting.
Simbionix’ LMS already delivers state-of-the-art online medical education modules to tens of thousands of users.
V6.0 adds enhanced administration and reporting functions so new users can grasp basic functionality immediately and experienced administrators can perform/carry out common management tasks faster. A streamlined GUI integrates all the features into an easy-to-use interface.
The architecture has been refined for enhanced scalability, greater speed, and superior performance.
Improvements to current features include enhanced rules-based self-registration, manager approval, event scheduling, unlimited group and manager levels, wait-list management, prerequisite management, updated certification management and accreditation reporting.
The new Data Visualization Reports Suite allows administrators to visualize user data quickly so they can easily manage and understand user capabilities and knowledge.
V6.0 also integrates Simbionix simulator data into reports. And by the end of 2008, complete integration of the LMS with the Simbionix Mentor line of virtual reality simulators will be available.
Announcing the release of the new version 6.0 LMS, eTrinsic President Jacques Devaud commented: "We developed the LMS to offer corporations rapid deployment, customized data collection and detailed reporting capabilities not found in other platforms. Version 6.0 offers even more power and flexibility to users and managers, while setting the stage for the first ever integration of simulator and didactic performance data into one seamless product”.
June 2008 Press Release
Simbionix Takes Non-Invasive GYN Surgical Training
To The Next Level
Simbionix has announced the release of a new and exciting module for its LAP Mentor simulator that gives trainees hands-on experience with different techniques and alternative approaches to the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, tubal sterilization and oophorectomy.
The GYN module is the latest addition to the suite of laparoscopic procedures developed for the LAP Mentor, the world's most advanced laparoscopic surgery simulator. The GYN module makes full use of the LAP Mentor's 3-D real-life graphics and ergonomically designed hardware to provide the most realistic experience of training and learning possible.
The module includes an expandable library of virtual patients with a variety of anatomical anomalies and complications, a complete set of laparoscopic instruments including those unique to GYN procedures, exceptional audio and visual learning aids and a comprehensive set of performance metrics.
In announcing the release of the new module, Simbionix President Ran Bronstein commented: "This demonstrates Simbionix continued commitment to our LAP customers. We are committed to continuous on going development that will keep the LAP Mentor the most advanced laparoscopic system on the market. Our goal is to assure customers unsurpassed value and maximum benefits from their purchase of Simbionix Simulators”.
December 2007 Press Release
2007 a “Record Year” for Successful Validation Studies of Simbionix Simulators
December 2007, Cleveland, OH, USA: Ten new validation studies were published during 2007 on the Simbionix Mentor series of training simulators, bringing the total number of studies published to 65.
“This year we have seen a considerable increase in interest from US and European institutes” said Gary Zamler, Simbionix’ CEO. “Some of the world's most highly respected academic medical institutions and teaching hospitals have completed studies measuring the efficacy of using Simbionix Mentor simulation products.”
The studies published this year include two new studies on the GI Mentor, two on the URO/PERC platform, three on the LAP Mentor and three on the ANGIO Mentor. Some of the studies were carried out at multiple sites, something that typically increases the reliability of study results. The institutes which conducted studies include the University of Texas, Catharina Hospital of the Netherlands, the British Imperial College of London and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences in the Kyushu University of Fukuoka, the first study by a Japanese institute to date.
The study carried out by experts at Catherina Hospital’s Department of Gastroenterology concluded that the GI Mentor II simulator offered a convincing, realistic representation of colonoscopy that can discriminate between different levels of colonoscopy expertise. As a result, the product was granted both construct validity and expert validity. The study carried out by Kyushu University of Fukuoka concluded that the LAP Mentor was able to differentiate between subjects with different laparoscopic experience.
One of the key value points for medical institutions to use Simbionix products is the ability to offer clinicians and medical students the required hands-on surgical experience at zero patient risk. Validation studies are critical to prove the efficacy of the simulation experience, so that institutions can rely on simulators to advance clinician training and improve patient safety. Yael Friedman Ph.D., Simbionix Chief Scientist over Medical Projects noted “We are happy to see that all of the institutes which have validated our products continue to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of using our Mentor products for surgical training”.
Full details of the validation tests carried out can be seen on Simbionix website:
November 2007 Press Release
Gynecologists get first hands-on experience with Simbionix
LAP Mentor™
GYN Surgeons had their first opportunity last week to experience the world's most advanced laparoscopic surgery simulator at the 36th AAGL Global Congress
Nov 21, 2006, Cleveland, OH, USA: Simbionix unveiled the latest module of its highly successful LAP Mentor™ simulator line to members of the Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.
The LAP Mentor™ multidisciplinary laparoscopic simulator is the first and only simulation system to provide training in complete advanced procedures. The system enables training and practice in essential surgical and suturing skills on a single, integrated platform. During the AAGL congress, Simbionix presented its newest module that offers hands-on training experience on two fundamental GYN procedures: ectopic pregnancy and tubal sterilization.
"Simbionix invests heavily in bringing surgeons the most advanced laparoscopic simulation possible," explains Niv Fisher, Simbionix VP of R&D. "The technological challenges met by Simbionix’ R&D group are both vast and unique". The module uses Simbionix's new proprietary technology, Free Form Simulation Platform (FFSP). FFSP analyses the physical connections between organs to provide an accurate simulation of subtle tissue responses experienced by laparoscopic gynecologists.
“FFSP is another first-of-its-kind technological coup for Simbionix" says Simbionix President, Ran Bronstein. ”Open surgery simulation has finally made the leap from science fiction to fact”.
Simbionix announce collaborative agreement with the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) task force
After extensive review, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) task force has selected Simbionix to collaboratively develop a simulation-based endoscopic hands-on skills assessment system.
One of the major challenges in training physicians to perform flexible endoscopy is the need for a standardized and efficient assessment tool to verify proficiency and identify deficiencies in a trainee’s skills. In response to this concern, SAGES formed a committee to design a Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) Program. To address the requirements of the program, both multimedia and simulation-based educational elements need to be included, followed by a high-stakes validated exam to assess both knowledge and hands-on proficiency.
Simbionix’ sophisticated GI Mentor technology platform will be used to develop the hands-on endoscopic simulation component specified by the FES Program. The hands-on component will feature skills training on the basic tasks needed for flexible endoscopy.
Gary Zamler, Simbionix’ CEO, noted that ”this is clearly evidence of Simbionix leading position in the medical education market; we see this as a landmark step in the maturing of the medical simulation market. Simbionix appreciates the involvement of SAGES, a leading professional association, to advance the field of medical education through simulation-based programs for its membership. Simbionix is committed to this exciting and innovative project".
October 2007 Press Release
WHEC-TV News 10 in Rochester, NY:
University of Rochester vascular surgeons at Strong Hospital are using the Simbionix ANGIO Mentor to identify and solve surgical pitfalls problems before ever entering the surgical suite. http://www.whec.com/article/stories/S215939.shtml?cat=566
Simbionix Launches Portable LAP Simulator at Surgeons Congress in New Orleans
October 14, 2007, Cleveland, OH, USA,: Last week, Simbionix unveiled the newest member of its extraordinarily successful LAP Mentor simulator line to members of the American College of Surgeons in New Orleans, LA, the compact LAP Mentor Express™.
The LAP Mentor Express runs the same robust, realistic software as the larger LAP Mentor II, offering integrated training on complete laparoscopic procedures, practice of basic skills and validated performance metrics, all in a sleek cost-efficient, and completely portable package. To support the continuing value of the platform, Simbionix will continue its rapid release of new, advanced procedural software for the LAP simulators to meet market demands.
This “personal trainer” for laparoscopic surgery comes complete with a high-performance laptop and all necessary surgical tools, contained in a wheeled case for easy entry and use in clinics, small-scale courses, local meetings, etc.
Dror Paz, Director of US Sales for Simbionix, reported that participants in the ACS Congress received the new system with great enthusiasm. "We expect that the LAP Mentor Express will open the door to more medical centers, training programs and clinicians that have been waiting to enjoy the benefits of a top-quality laparoscopy simulator with training modules that accommodate budgetary constraints. “
Q4 2006
PreOp Mentor Simulator another “Industry First” Success for Simbionix
October 23 Cleveland, Ohio and Lod, Israel– Simbionix unveiled its revolutionary PreOp Mentor Simulator (WIP) for a sneak preview during a “Live Broadcast” at Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapetuics (TCT) in Washington, DC where Dr. Bill Gray successfully performed a carotid intervention at Columbia University, NY on a patient after simulating the procedure on the PreOp Mentor a day earlier based on the actual anatomy of that patient. The PreOp case was performed in collaboration with PolyDimensions, Germany, a company specializing in high quality anatomical 3D-reconstruction from CT-Data.
Dr. Giora Weisz, an Interventional Cardiologist from Cardiovascular Research Foundation and Columbia University Medical Center stated, “I believe patient-based simulation can significantly improve patient safety by training physicians on the patient's own anatomy and by practicing with the appropriate devices before the actual procedure, resulting in shorter procedure time, less unnecessary equipment, and ultimately, higher success rates and less complications." During the live broadcast, the Cath Lab team said they believe that as a result of the patient-based training, they used less contorts, less x-ray time and most importantly, were able to improve patient safety.
Ran Bronstein, Simbionix President stated, "until now, simulation was limited to generalized models of patients, however, with the PreOp Mentor, planning and simulation are done beforehand based on the patient's individual anatomy.allowing for better preparation and leading to better results".
In addition to the PreOp Mentor Simulator, scheduled for Commercial Release in 2007, Simbionix showcased their new advanced Coronary Module and the new ANGIO Mentor™Mini at TCT. The Coronary Module simulates coronary interventions such as, PTCA, stenting and left ventricular angiography. The new module uniquely features the simulation of a patient’s vital signs in response to actual simulated coronary complications while the ANGIO Mentor Mini is a portable simulator to be used as a "Personal Trainer" for smaller courses or for on-site training.
September Press Release
Success for Simbionix at the September European Conferences
Physicians practiced peripheral vascular interventions on the ANGIO Mentor and experienced the new Hernia Repair Module on the LAP Mentor
At CIRSE in Rome, Italy, Simbionix participated in the CIRSE Simulation Gallery, enabling participants to experience hands-on the Simbionix ANGIO Mentor. Physicians trained on the Renal, Carotid, SFA and Iliac Intervention Modules, enthusiastically practicing the complete range of peripheral vascular intervention techniques.
During the same week, at the EAES in Berlin, Germany, Simbionix premiered the new Ventral Hernia Repair module on the LAP Mentor. Two validation studies on the GI Mentor and the URO mentor were presented as posters and won Best Poster Awards from amongst 500 posters.
August Press Release
Simbionix Announces Immediate Availability of its Newest Module for Training Laparoscopic Hernia Procedures
Industry's first module that uses simulation for the teaching and practice of laparoscopic hernia treatment procedures
August 15, 2006, Cleveland, OH, USA, and Lod, Israel; Simbionix announces the availability of a new add-on module for the teaching and practice of laparoscopic hernia procedures. First of its kind in the industry, the LAP Hernia module is the latest addition to the suite of laparoscopic procedures developed for the LAP Mentor. The Hernia module features real-life clinical treatment scenarios and skills assessment tools for the teaching and practice of laparoscopic hernia procedures. The Simbionix LAP Mentor, with its intuitive user interface, represents the industry's most advanced training content, 3-D real-life graphics and ergonomically designed hardware
The LAP Hernia module is targeted for the training of surgeons, who, in a series of real-life case studies, will be able to practice laparoscopic incisional hernia treatment procedures, including adhesiolysis and handling and fixating mesh,. The Hernia add-on module joins the growing library of software modules for the Simbionix LAP Mentor simulation product, including Essential LAP Skills, Suturing and Lap Chole modules.
"The new module for training LAP ventral hernia procedures reduces the need to train on animals, and then patients later on. Using simulation to learn and practice the various clinical scenarios positively impacts patient safety", stated Jan F. Kukleta, MD, from the Laparoscopic Training Center in Zurich, Switzerland.
The LAP Hernia module will be launched in Europe at the EAES in Berlin, Germany on September 13-16 and at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Chicago, Ill, October 8-12 (booth # 239).
Simbionix is committed to continuously innovating and growing its product offering. The wide range of training modules, case studies and scenarios is developed in response to the growing importance of clinical training and education for the improvement of patient care. As a world leader in the field of simulation-based medical education and training, Simbionix continues to provide professional training solutions in a timely and efficient manner.
June Press Release
Online Remote Support, June 2006
Simbionix is proud to announce the launch of an interactive support system for all Mentor simulator platforms, accessible from our website.
The new support service provides Online Remote Support over the Internet, allowing a Simbionix technician to remotely control and diagnose a broad range of system functions, providing real-time support. The system also supports interactive communication between the customer and technician during the support session. This support enhancement is designed to reduce the response time required for implementation of technical solutions for Simbionix customers and distributors worldwide.
Ran Bronstein, President and COO, emphasized Simbionix’ commitment to develop and deliver innovative post-sale technologies to assure customers of prompt and efficient service.
Guy Greller, Worldwide Customer Support Manager, noted that this system can be used to resolve a broad range of service issues in the shortest possible time.
How to use the new service
1. Connect your Mentor systems to the Internet.
2. Log on to Simbionix support services at: http://www.simbionix.com/Support_via_Web.html
and follow the instructions.
We value your ideas and thoughts. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or requests.
Simbionix’ new CFO brings strong international financial and legal background
Cleveland, OH and Lod, Israel, June 2006 – Simbionix USA Corporation (Simbionix), a developer of medical simulators and hands-on curriculum for training medical professionals, announced that Boaz Tal has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Boaz will work in the Lod, Israel office managing global financial operations, including the Cleveland, Ohio and Denver, Colorado locations.
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eTrinsic, a division of Simbionix USA, relocates to a new and exciting facility in Denver, Colorado
Cleveland, OH and Denver, CO, June 2006 – eTrinsic, a division of Simbionix USA, a leading developer of online education and training products serving the medical device industry and medical education sectors, has relocated their offices from Louisville, Colorado to the historical LoDo district of Denver, Colorado
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April Press Release
Gary Zamler to lead Simbionix to its next stage of Growth to become a
Leading International Medical Simulation and Training Solutions Provider
Cleveland, OH and Lod, Israel, February 2006 – Simbionix USA Corporation (Simbionix), a developer of medical simulators and hands-on curriculum for training medical professionals, today announced that Gary Zamler will join the company as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on April 10th, 2006.
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January Press Release
Simbionix acquires eTrinsic, Inc
Leading partners in medical education and training technologies combine to accelerate growth.
CLEVELAND, Ohio and Louisville, CO (January 12, 2006) – Simbionix USA Corporation, a leading developer of advanced medical simulation products, today acquired all assets and employees of eTrinsic, Inc, a developer of interactive medical education and assessment tools. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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Only a year after its introduction, the Simbionix ANGIO mentor provides physicians all over the world with safe endovascular interventions expert training.
During the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) symposium, which was held in Chicago IL, on June 16, Simbionix, together with Cordis Endovascular, organized hands-on carotid educational sessions on its ANGIO Mentor™ systems.
With the available 12 systems, a large number of participants had access to practice on the most advanced virtual-reality training systems of carotid stenting. Attendees were offered CME credits through SVS.
The educational sessions were a success. All the sessions were fully booked, and attendees were impressed with the system's capabilities.
June Press Release
Simbionix Founders Announce Their Successors
As part of their original, long-term plan, David Barkay, founder and currently President and CEO and Edna Chosack, founder and currently Vice President of Strategic marketing are leaving the company to pursue new entrepreneurial challenges. Assuming the Simbionix presidency will be company Co-founder Ran Bronstein.
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Simbionix continues to innovate
During April, Simbionix has presented its new developments both for the ANGIO Mentor and the LAP Mentor simulators.
After a successful launching in the US with more than 30 systems sold, The ANGIO Mentor was presented for the first time in Europe during the Chairing Cross at the Imperial College, London, UK. The carotid intervention and the new renal intervention modules received warm praises from the physicians in the meeting.
On April 13th, during SAGES 2005 in Florida, USA, Simbionix presented a prototype of the LAP Mentor’ suturing module. Physicians who have tried the suturing module were impressed with both the thread and the environment simulation, which they found extremely promising.
Largest installation of Simbionix' LAP Mentor simulators worldwide, February 2005
The European Surgical Institute (ESI), one of the most modern and innovative training centers for further medical education in Europe, based in Hamburg, Germany, has installed 18 Simbionix LAP Mentor simulators.
The ESI has taken an innovative step by incorporating a large number of advanced training systems into its course curriculum focusing on minimally invasive operating techniques.
As a result, a large number of course participants will have access to practice on the most advanced virtual reality training systems.
The ESI will be using Simbionix's Remote Mentor system to manage and track course participants' progress on all 18 systems.
January Press Release
Simbionix and eTrinsic form exclusive partnership
Two industry leaders join forces to provide the ultimate surgical training solution through enhanced simulation and educational assessment technologies to medical device companies and professional associations.
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