Corindus Vascular Robotics has announced that, at Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center, Aberdeen, USA, interventional cardiologists have performed the first robotic-assisted stent placement in a STEMI patient with the company’s CorPath robotic angioplasty device.
According to a company press release, use of the device was associated with a far better door-to-balloon time than the national standard. It added that using the FDA-cleared CorPath system, Puneet Sharma was able to perform the robotic-assisted angioplasty procedure and restore blood flow to the patient’s heart within 68 minutes of their arrival (the national door-to-balloon time standard is 90 minutes).
The CorPath system is the first and only FDA-cleared technology that enables precise, robotic-assisted angioplasties to open arteries and restore blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease. Seated in an interventional cockpit, the interventional cardiologist advances stents and guidewires via a joy stick with millimeter by millimeter precision. The system may also improve clinical outcomes by enabling precise measurement of the anatomy, which could potentially lead to better stent placements.
“Timely access to emergency cardiac care and survival is partly dependent on access to services and technology,” said Sharma. “Being able to perform a CorPath Robotic Angioplasty on a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patient within 68 minutes is a great benefit. As shown with the latest procedure, robotic-assisted angioplasties improve rural access and quality of care as more patients in this area will have access for advanced specialty care. The implementation of the CorPath system and its ability to precisely and rapidly execute an angioplasty procedure with only one stent in the patient heart is a great example of Sanford Health’s commitment to enhanced clinical outcome for our patients.”
