HCA Florida Mercy Hospital conducts Florida’s first MARS magnetic surgery
On July 29, 2026, Mercy Hospital in Miami became the first Florida hospital to perform magnetic surgery using the MARS® platform, a technology from Silicon Valley firm Levita Magnetics. The partnership expands access to minimally invasive procedures within the state’s largest health system, HCA.
The FDA‑cleared MARS system employs magnetic control to guide instruments and provide active magnetic tissue retraction, reducing the number of incisions. In the reported bariatric case, Dr. Nestor De La Cruz said the platform delivered stable visualization and eliminated the need for a surgical assistant. The reduced‑port approach is linked to fewer scars, less postoperative pain and faster recovery, adding a durable surgical option alongside pharmaceutical weight‑management treatments.
Entities: Dr. Nestor De La Cruz · HCA Florida Mercy Hospital · Levita Magnetics · MARS® Magnetic Surgery Platform · Miami, Florida
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Mercy Hospital performed the first magnetic surgery in Florida using the MARS platform on July 29, 2026. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Bariatric surgery provides a durable long‑term weight‑management option compared with GLP‑1 medications, which may lead to weight regain after discontinuation. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The reduced‑port approach associated with MARS leads to fewer incisions, less scarring, reduced postoperative pain and faster recovery. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The MARS platform is FDA‑cleared and builds on more than 2,500 surgeries performed with Levita’s magnetic systems worldwide. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The MARS platform uses magnetic control to guide surgical instruments and provides active magnetic tissue retraction. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The MARS platform is developed by Levita Magnetics, a Silicon Valley medical technology company. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The partnership between Levita Magnetics and Mercy Hospital expands access to less invasive surgical procedures in Florida. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dr. Nestor De La Cruz performed the bariatric procedures using the MARS platform at Mercy Hospital. (All three articles)