Times of India
30 April 2010
London,UK

Doctors at a British hospital have carried out the first heart rhythm operation using a remote –controlled robot and say its success means patients could be treated by doctors in other cities, or even other countries.

Andre Ng, who performed the procedure on Wednesday from outside the operating theater, said it went very well and the patient’s irregular heart rhythm was restored to normal within an hour. “ It exceeded our expectations and we achieved what we set out to in very good time,” said Ng, a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital.

Robotic surgery is becoming more common in wealthy nations and can be used on patients suffering from gynecological cancer, coronary artery disease, kidney cancer, and bladder cancer. Ng said he was the first doctor in the world to carry out this type of remotecontrolled operation on a human patient using a system called a Remote Catheter Manipulation System.

The device was developed by the US company Catheter Robotics Inc, which says it hopes remote operations may be carried out on patients in future all over the world.

The procedure carried out by Ng involved inserting thin wires called catheters into blood vessels at the top of the groin and then threading them up into the chambers of the heart.

Despite being outside the operating theater during the procedure, Ng said he felt in “ complete control” and could see and speak to other medical staff who were beside the patient. Ng said he could see the remote–controlled robotic arm being used in more far off situations in the future.