Thanks to Robocath’s R-One robotic solution, Europe’s first remote vascular-surgery procedure on a live subject was performed successfully on an animal on December 8, 2020. The surgical instruments introduced into the robot, which was in Rouen, were directed from Caen (80 miles away) thanks to a command unit with integrated software.

Already on the market, this robotic technology presents two major advantages for surgeons: radioprotection, as cardiologists no longer need to be exposed to X-rays, and increased precision during angioplasties. The feasibility demonstration was a first step before moving on to a clinical trial on humans in order to prove how useful the technology can be in providing faster treatment for heart attacks and strokes.

According to one estimate, 40% of the population of Europe does not currently have access to a coronary angioplasty (in case of a heart attack) due to the transportation time needed to reach a specialized institution. So remote procedures have high stakes for public health. Stroke treatment could also benefit from this innovation, because it requires a thrombectomy, i.e. suctioning out the blood clot that is blocking the artery. The procedure must be performed very quickly in order to save the patient and prevent hemiplegia, which is why performing it remotely could be of such great interest.

Robocath is starting on a key stage in its development at the dawn of a new global era in surgical medicine.