3 Indians among top 10 contenders for KS International Robotic Surgery award

The top 10 rankings were determined from a pool of over 140 submissions from surgeons spanning 14 countries, competing for excellence in urology, gynaecology, gastro-intestinal, organ transplant, and head and neck specialties.

Bengaluru: Three robotic surgeons from India are among top 10 whose video contributions on robot-assisted surgeries have made it to the KS International Innovation Awards 2023 for robotic surgery.

The top 10 list came from over 140 entries from surgeons in 14 countries that vied for the top spots in procedures in urology, gynaecology, gastro-intestinal, organ transplant and head and neck specialties.

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Entries by three surgeons from India — Dr Somashekhar SP, Aster Hospitals, Bengaluru; Dr Sandeep Nayak, Fortis Cancer Institute, Bengaluru and Dr Aditya Kulkarni, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune – emerged among the top 10 entries.

Video submission on robot-assisted total knee transplant by orthopedic surgeon Dr Suhas Masilamani, Sunshine Bone & Joint Institute and KIMS-Sunshine Hospital, Hyderabad won the people’s choice award.

US-based Vattikuti Foundation partnered with Belgium-based Orsi Academy to host its annual robotic surgery symposium in Belgium from October 6-8.

The annual symposium opened here with experts Dr Sherry M Wren of Stanford University and Dr Ahmed Ghazi of Johns Hopkins University, urging surgeons from Asia, Europe and Americas to adopt new approaches in surgical innovation and using simulation in their practice.

A discussion on emerging use of Augmented Reality and adoption of AI techniques in robotic surgery between Dr Daniele Amparore, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Italy; Giovanni E Cacciamani, University of Southern California, USA and Dr Alexandre Mottrie, Orsi Academy, Belgium brought out the immense potential and attendant risks.

“By focusing on robotic technology and surgeon education, the Vattikuti Foundation has proven the transformative power of innovative technology in revitalizing patients’ health at the hands of inventive humans,” said Raj Vattikuti, Founder, the Vattikuti Foundation at the Orsi campus at Ghent, a port town northwest of Brussels.

The annual competition is held in memory of Krishnaswamy Subrahmaniam remembered as “KS”.

He is known as an extraordinary human at the cutting edge for his outstanding contribution to the establishment and progress of robotic surgery in India.

“The innovation awards program seeks to discover and recognise new surgical talent, uncover cutting-edge procedures through instructional robotic surgery videos to benefit a growing generation of surgeons to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation.

The winning surgeons will receive $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000 as first, second and third cash prize.