Top: Dr Tejas Patel performing remote robotic surgery
Bottom: The Corindus CorPath Robortic surgery set-up
January 20 2018: The world's first-in-human (FIH) Telerobotic Intervention ( surgery) was conducted last month in India.
his study represents the world’s first percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) conducted from a remote location outside of the catherization lab. Five patients located at the Apex Heart Institute in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, underwent an elective PCI procedure from a distance of roughly 20 miles (32 km) away.
Each procedure was remotely performed by internationally acclaimed physician, Dr. Tejas Patel, Chairman and Chief Interventional Cardiologist of the Apex Heart Institute, from inside the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple located in Gandhinagar. His partner, Dr. Sanjay Shah, was in the room with the patient at the Apex Heart Institute. The success of this study paves the way for large-scale, long-distance telerobotic platforms across the globe.
“The first in human cases of remote robotic PCI represent a landmark event for interventional medicine,” says Dr. Patel. “The application of telerobotics in India has the potential to impact a significant number of lives by providing access to care that may not otherwise have been possible. For the first time in cardiology’s history, India will shine for this ground-breaking innovation, and I am honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
US-based Corindus has pioneered the world’s first remote telerobotic interventional platform to deliver highly specialized and timely cardiovascular care to underserved patient populations with geographic barriers to treatment. Following the successful FIH telerobotic coronary stenting cases performed in India, the company plans to begin commercial product development for use of the CorPath System in remote interventions and expand the company’s robotic platform to address stroke care.