Hubly Drill + Cranial Access Kit Used in Life-Saving Bedside Procedures

Published by Casey Grage on

The Hubly Surgical Bedside Cranial Access Kit + Drill, with first-of-its-kind SMART Auto-Stop for use in any setting, is successfully demonstrated for the first time in patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and in the Greater Houston area.

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Dr. Matthew Potts, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Radiology at Northwestern Medicine, performed the very first successful procedure with Hubly Cranial Access Kit + Drill. He drilled the hole in only 16 seconds—far faster than the average for a hand-crank drill.


Dr. Sabih Effendi, neurosurgeon and Stroke Medical Director in the Greater Houston area, used Hubly’s Cranial Access Kit + Drill mere hours later. 

The drill’s SMART Auto-Stop successfully prevented brain plunge and left the dura fully intact in both bedside ventriculostomy cases. Dr. Effendi shared: 

“Hubly Drill was easy to use and safe. It had a great weight and strong feel, bit the bone well, and didn’t slip. Hubly is the first bedside-ICU neurosurgical drill suitable for this millennium.”

Hubly Drill’s advanced safety features include the SMART Auto-Stop mechanism, a cone-shaped drill bit to reduce over-penetration, and an LED Force Indicator that changes color based on applied force, increasing operator control. Furthermore, its single-use, cordless design streamlines burr hole drilling, transforming it into a one-handed procedure that bolsters stability, ease of use, and speed.

“We founded Hubly Surgical out of Northwestern University over four years ago, so it is profoundly fitting that Northwestern Medicine got to be the one to pioneer the Hubly Cranial Access Kit and Drill commercial launch,” said CEO Casey Qadir. “This ground-breaking achievement marks a thrilling new chapter in innovative neurosurgical advancements.”

About Hubly Surgical

Founded in 2019, Hubly Surgical is a medical device company with a mission to improve patient outcomes and quality of care for surgical procedures, inclusively, across standard and underserved settings, starting with bedside cranial surgery. Hubly Surgical developed and launched Hubly Cranial Access Kit + Drill with a vision to become the standard of care for bedside cranial access, making its lethal complications a “never event.” Hubly Surgical is located in Lisle, IL.