India’s first robotic system performs complex cardiac telesurgeries

Internal Mammary Artery Harvesting procedure and totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass were performed remotely over a distance of 286 km

New Delhi: The made-in-India surgical robotic system SSI Mantra has successfully performed two robotic cardiac surgeries via telesurgery over a distance of 286 kilometres.

The surgeries were performed remotely by Dr Sudhir Srivastava from Gurugram to Manipal Hospital Jaipur, using the SSI Mantra 3 Surgical Robotic System. The Telerobotic-assisted Internal Mammary Artery Harvesting procedure was conducted remotely in just 58 minutes. The surgery demonstrated exceptional precision with an incredibly low latency of just 35-40 milliseconds (1/20th of a second). This groundbreaking procedure was followed by another world-first, a robotic beating heart totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) — a procedure known as one of the most complex cardiac surgical procedures. This was also performed via telesurgery, connecting from Gurugram to Jaipur, with an incredibly low latency of just 40 milliseconds. “We are extremely thrilled to have advanced surgery capabilities to benefit humanity, especially in areas that need it the most. By enabling telesurgery, we can bridge gaps in access to medical expertise and deliver the highest standard of care, regardless of geographical barriers. For a country like India, with its vast rural population and significant healthcare disparities, this innovation is transformative,” said Dr Sudhir Srivastava, SS Innovations founder, chairman, and CEO.

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This groundbreaking inter-state robotic cardiac telesurgery marks a significant leap in enhancing patient care through innovation. The remote robotic-assisted CABG on an elderly patient from Jaipur exemplifies how technology is bridging geographical gaps to provide accurate and timely medical interventions,” said Dr Lalit Malik, chief of cardiac surgery at Manipal Hospital, Jaipur. Developed by SS Innovations, the SSI Mantra 3 Surgical Robotic System is the only robotic system in the world to have received regulatory approval for telesurgery and tele-proctoring.

The recent approval of SSI Mantra 3 by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) opens the door to remote surgeries and medical education, enabling healthcare professionals to collaborate across distances. -IANS