Robocath Successfully Completes the First Remote Coronary Angioplasty

MedTech Outlook | Monday, January 25, 2021

Lucien Goffart, CEO

Robocath announced that the first remote robotic coronary angioplasty in Europe had been completed successfully. 

FREMONT, CA: Robocath, an organization that creates, develops, and markets cardiovascular robotic systems to treat vascular diseases, recently announced that the first remote robotic coronary angioplasty in Europe had been completed. The operation was conducted at the Rouen Medical Training Center and Caen University Hospital in France by Prof. Eric Durand and Prof. Remi Sabatier - spanning 75 miles (120 km) between the two places. The operation is the first of its kind in Europe, R-One, Robocath's first commercial robotic-assisted device, has been completed. In order to successfully treat cardiovascular disorders, this groundbreaking accomplishment opens the door to new solutions for patients who live in remote areas and need urgent care.

On December 8, 2020, the experiment was carried out on an animal model. Several instruments were used to secure consistent contact between Prof. Sabatier, who works at Caen University Hospital, and Prof. Durand, who works at the Medical Training Center in Rouen.

Prof. Remi Sabatier, Interventional Cardiologist at the Caen University Hospital and Associate Professor in Remote Medicine, said, "There are still significant disparities in the level of care for cardiovascular diseases depending on where a patient life. For example, in Europe, 40 percent of heart attacks are not treated with a coronary angioplasty, even when this is clearly a better option for the patient than fibrinolytic therapy. This is essentially because it takes too long to get to an interventional cardiology center. This pioneering robotic procedure, the first in Europe carried out at a distance of over 70 miles, could eventually improve patient care in case of serious cardiac events such as heart attacks and strokes, and save lives. Aside from the technical achievement, it's been a privilege for me personally to be involved in this first intervention. The equipment provided by Robocath meant that I was perfectly able to communicate with my colleagues in Rouen without a hitch. Operating my tools remotely felt exactly the same as a standard robotic procedure."

Prof. Eric Durand, Interventional Cardiologist at Rouen University Hospital, commented, "I'm delighted to have participated in this landmark operation, which has proven that long-distance robotic procedures can be completed safely and securely by qualified caregivers. There are a number of challenges that still need to be overcome before this can become commonplace within this sector, particularly in relation to the required personnel training and legal liability. Nonetheless, Im convinced that the future of interventional cardiology is robotic and that this remote connection module will speed up growth in this area."

Bruno Fournier, CTO at Robocath, said, "This successful operation is a great proof-of-concept in a number of technical aspects; it demonstrates that a coronary angioplasty can be completed safely between two distant sites. In the long run, our goal is to provide the user with the same level of performance as with an in-person robotic procedure."

Robocath CEO Lucien Goffart noted, "Cardiovascular diseases are currently the number one cause of death worldwide. In part, this is due to a number of circumstances which make it hard to improve treatment, such as geographic, structural and economic factors. Ensuring equality of treatment and access to care - regardless of where one lives, is fundamental. Robotic interventional medicine unquestionably represents a reliable response to these major social challenges. Firstly, robotic procedures make vascular intervention safer for the physician, by providing complete protection from X-rays; over the last 15 years, X-ray exposure has had a significant effect on the number of qualified people entering this field. People are less available, less willing to train, because of the health conditions caused by wearing lead equipment. This has resulted in a growing shortage of qualified medical staff. Secondly, remote robotic interventions will provide patients with rapid access to the best treatment by experts, who can operate from a specialist center on a patient located at a smaller ER."