Galway hospital carries out first robot-guided stent replacement in Ireland or Britain

New technology allows for precise placement of stents to relieve arterial blockages in the heart

The new technology allows interventional cardiologists to use the robot as an extension of their own hand, allowing for robotic precision and detailed visualisation when positioning catheters, guide-wires and balloon/stent catheters, Prof Faisal Sharif said.
The new technology allows interventional cardiologists to use the robot as an extension of their own hand, allowing for robotic precision and detailed visualisation when positioning catheters, guide-wires and balloon/stent catheters, Prof Faisal Sharif said.

The first robot-guided placement of a coronary stent in a patient in Ireland or Britain has been carried out in University Hospital Galway.

The procedure was performed by consultant cardiologist Prof Faisal Sharif, who described the new technology as a game changer that allowed for greater precision in positioning stents.

Stents, which are used to relieve blockages in the arteries of the heart, can be moved a millimetre at a time using the CorPath Robotic Angioplasty device made by Siemens.

It also allows the medical team to have an enhanced, close-up view of the X-ray images used to check blood vessels.

READ MORE

The new technology allows interventional cardiologists to use the robot as an extension of their own hand, allowing for robotic precision and detailed visualisation when positioning catheters, guide-wires and balloon/stent catheters, Prof Sharif said.

“Robotic innovation has come a long way in the last decade. The main advantage of robotics is that it is safe and very precise in stent placement. It allows the accurate placement for up to 1mm at a time.”

Galway University Hospitals carries out first Robotic Guided Coronary Intervention in Ireland and the UK

Dr Simone Fezzi, Prof Faisal Sharif and Dr Max Wagener.
Prof Faisal Sharif (centre) with Dr Simone Fezzi and Dr Max Wagener. Prof Sharif, a consultant cardiologist, described the new technology as a game changer that allowed for greater precision in positioning stents.

The use of robotics in the procedure also benefits staff by reducing their exposure to radiation compared to the traditional practice of performing the procedures in a cardiac cath lab.

Chris Kane, general manager, Galway University Hospitals, said the new technology will benefit patients. “Innovations such as this are transforming medicine and will have a significant impact on the future care for patients. This state-of-the-art robotics will enhance patient care for our patients across the west and northwest,” she added.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.