Ahmedabad: Gujarat based Padma award winner renown heart specialist Dr. Tejas Patel and his Apex Heart Institute today announced launch of world’s first and only Vascular Robotic System in India.

Dr. Patel today in media interaction held here said this was the first installation of Vascular Robotics System anywhere outside the America. In last less than one month time. Dr. Patel and his team has successfully completed over 50 coronary angioplasty/stenting procedures including complex cases like patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction(AMI) and Chronic Total Occlusion(CTO) through robotics installation which has been procured from America at a cost of USD 1.5 million.

‘in the medical field, robos have been used for prostate, cancer and other interventions with good result and Robotics surgery is now standard procedure in the countries in Europe and America. However, while other human organs are static, the heart is moving structure and therefore it was challenging for scientists to come with robotics technology for vascular interventions. Earlier there were first generation machines but now there are second generation machines that offer even better facilities. At present, America has 10 to 12 centres where robotic technology is used for vascular treatment. The Vascular Robotic machine that has been installed at Apex Heart Institute here is the first to be installed outside America anywhere in the world,’ Dr. Patel said.

With this technology, we will be able to advance towards near 100 success rate and near zero complication rate, said Dr. Patel who is doing angioplasty operations since 1991 and has completed nearly 1 lakh cases.

‘Human hand has its own limitation. It can work with 10 mm precision or accuracy while robo works with 1 mm accuracy. The robo has inbuilt artificial intelligence. While we take utmost care during surgery, the robo machine adds to it further. Coronary is very delicate part. The robotic technology helps to ensure that there’s minimum damage to coronary. The robotics technology not just offer accuracy, precision and safety but also helps to avoid radiation as doctors are sitting five ft away and works through joysticks,’ Dr. Patel said.

Dr. Patel informed that May clinic in Rochester is at present experimenting remote coronary interventions through robotics technology. He said in future this technology will be helpful to connect rural cathlabs to urban expertise.

Dr. Patel said the Vascular Robotic System was installed at Apex hospital in Ahmedabad on December 7 and so far 57 cases are attended using this system. He said at present the operations were done through new system on complementary basis but in future it will add extra cost of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per patient. More people utilize this technology, down the cost will be. The main element of additional cost is due to a hardware called ‘cassette’ which needs to be dumped after procedure.

In reply to a question asked by media persons, Dr. Patel said the insurance firms are unaware about this technology at present in India and therefore they don’t cover its cost but within 3 to 6 months they are expected to start doing it. In America, insurance companies already provide cover to treatment done through this technology which is just one year old.

Dr. Patel said, ‘out of 57 coronary angioplasty/stenting procedures completed in less than month at Apex Heart Institute here, in 5 cases we had to intervene manually in mid of operation. There’s a button which quickly pushes the robo to one side, and then doctors can manually do the procedure. We give first priority to patient’s well being and therefore in five-six cases we put aside robo and completed the procedure manually. This is a computer based technology and it can crash anytime afterall.’

Dr. Tejas Patel who is the only Asian doctor as visiting faculty to Mayo Clinic in Rochester has trained around 5,000 doctors in India for radial surgery intends to train the doctors across India for robotic vascular technology of coronary angioplasty and stenting.

Dr Patel said the new technology will fill the gap between surgery performed by experienced doctor and inexperienced doctor. It will fill the gap of abilities of skilled, medium skilled, high skilled and no skilled doctors.

When asked how he decided to purchase USD 1.5 million robotics system for his hospital, Dr. Patel said this is his passion. He said, ’17 years ago when I introduced radial method, I was questioned but I was confident that this technology was future of coronary intervention. Why our doctors should go abroad for training of latest medical technology? We will train them right here. I could set up 3 new cathlabs in cost matching to purchase of one robotics system.’

In replies of various questions asked by media persons, Dr. Patel said: in 1991-92 when I started doing angioplasty and in 1994-95 I started doing stenting, the cost of procedure was Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh around. Even after so many years, the cost remains same or similar while value of Rs 2 lakh has gone down due to inflation.

He said, out of 100 adults here in the age group of 40+, 20-25 face some or other heart related troubles. Almost all 40 plus persons are in diabetes or pre-diabetese stage, and the disease of diabetes invariably triggers heart issues. In 1980s, heart attack in below 50 age group was rare. When I completed my MD, there were many cases in this age group. When I became Cardiologist, heart attack in 40-50 age group was common. Today even 25-30 age group boys suffer from heart attacks.

DeshGujarat