Teleflex Partners With FundamentalVR to Improve Prostate Treatment Training

Teleflex Incorporated is teaming up with FundamentalVR, a world leader in virtual reality (VR) integration for medical simulation. The agreement will provide Teleflex with a VR training platform to accelerate the effective use of the company’s UroLift 2 System, a technology for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as enlarged prostate. The VR training platform integrates tactile feedback and a digital representation of the UroLift 2 System to provide urologists with a “hands-on” VR experience that can accelerate their learning.
 
By leveraging the capabilities of FundamentalVR’s Fundamental Surgery platform, Teleflex aims to increase access and standardization of clinical training of the UroLift 2 System in the United States and worldwide, including Japan, where the UroLift 2 System was recently approved for use. The customized solution from FundamentalVR will enable urologists globally to practice the procedure remotely in a virtual environment. 
 
“We are delighted to offer our customers this leading VR platform for surgical and procedural education which offers advanced, realistic graphics to help demonstrate the ease of use of the UroLift 2 System in a variety of prostate anatomies,” said Kevin Hardage, president and general manager of Teleflex Interventional Urology. “FundamentalVR’s Fundamental Surgery platform is versatile and scalable, making them an ideal supplier to meet our customers’ needs for training for the UroLift 2 System around the world.”
 
Chris Scattergood, co-founder at FundamentalVR said, “We are delighted that Teleflex has chosen FundamentalVR as their partner for their future vision. Integrating Extended Reality education solutions can have a positive impact on surgeons and patients.” 
 
The UroLift System is a minimally invasive treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It is indicated for the treatment of symptoms of an enlarged prostate up to 100 cc in men 45 years or older (50 years outside U.S.). The UroLift permanent implants, which can be delivered during an outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction without heating, cutting, destruction of, or removing prostate tissue. The UroLift System can be used to treat a broad spectrum of anatomies, including obstructive median lobe.¹ It is the only leading BPH procedure shown to not cause new onset, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction.*^2-4 Most common adverse events are temporary and can include hematuria, dysuria, micturition urgency, pelvic pain, and urge incontinence.⁵ Rare side effects, including bleeding and infection, may lead to a serious outcome and may require intervention. The prostatic urethral lift procedure (using the UroLift System) is recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines. More than 350,000 men have been treated with the UroLift System in select markets worldwide.⁶ 
 
Teleflex is a global provider of medical technologies. Its portfolio includes solutions in the fields of vascular access, interventional cardiology and radiology, anesthesia, emergency medicine, surgical, urology and respiratory care. Teleflex is the home of the Arrow, Deknatel, LMA, Pilling, QuikClot, Rüsch, UroLift, and Weck brands.
 
FundamentalVR delivers immersive and high fidelity multi-user simulations underpinned with HapticVRTM interactions. This enables medical devices and procedures to drive consistency and compliance across their training programs, provided on their multimodal Fundamental Surgery platform. The platform allows for full rehearsal of medical and surgical procedures in a safe and compliant virtual space, providing deep data insight into competency and skills development, accelerating safe adoption across the board, and is the only platform accredited by global education institutions. Their unlimited multi-user capabilities and mixed modalities all work individually or together for each business case, accelerating the time in which products and procedures can be brought to market and improve patient outcomes.
 
*No instances of new, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction in the L.I.F.T. pivotal study.
 
References
¹ Rukstalis, Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Dis 2018
² Roehrborn, Can J Urol 2017
³ AUA BPH Guidelines 2003, 2021
⁴ McVary, J Sex Med 2016
⁵ Roehrborn, J Urology 2013
⁶ Management estimate based on product sales as of April 2022. Data on file Teleflex Interventional Urology.