Medtronic said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. medical-device regulator, cleared its LigaSure RAS Maryland jaw device for use with the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system. The decision expands the instruments available for Hugo procedures in the United States and adds Medtronic’s vessel-sealing technology, used in more than 45 million procedures worldwide, to the platform’s robotic workflow. The device seals and cuts vessels, thick tissue and lymphatics up to and including 7 millimeters in diameter, sealing vessels in approximately 2 seconds while minimizing heat spread to surrounding tissue. Hugo is currently cleared for urologic surgical procedures in the U.S., while Medtronic continues plans to expand its indications to general and gynecologic soft-tissue surgery. The system is already used in more than 35 countries outside the U.S. across more than 50 surgical procedures.