A Glasgow med-tech firm’s robotic surgery platform has been used to carry out pioneering heart surgery in the US.
CardioPrecision’s CoreVista® Robot Enabling Platform was used successfully in the first clinical cases of robotic aortic valve replacement through a tiny incision in the neck.
The platform, which was used initially on human cadavers last year, has now been deployed in live surgery with a patient under the guidance of Dr. Marijan Koprivanac and his team at Cleveland Clinic, which is globally renowned for cardiac care.
The ‘transcervical’ approach is intended to minimise risks associated with conventional open heart surgery and means patients experience less pain and faster recovery.
This pioneering procedure represents a significant advancement in the field of cardiac surgery, offering a minimally invasive alternative for patients with aortic valve disease. Early clinical data was presented by Dr Koprivanac at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery annual meeting and the International Society for Minimally Invasive cardiothoracic Surgery annual meeting in May.
He demonstrated that CoreVista® technology’s versatility allows for implantation of either sutureless or conventional sutured valves.
“Combining the artificial heart valve with this new surgical technology means patients should experience less pain and less time in the hospital following heart surgery,” said Dr Koprivanac. “In fact, we believe that this may be one of the least invasive surgical heart valve replacement options available.”
The surgical breakthrough represents an important step for the company – originally spun out of the NHS through InnoScot Health – in its ambition of progressing towards clinical cases.
Fraser Sutherland, MD, chief medical officer of CardioPrecision, said: “The journey to realise our vision – to enable heart surgery to be performed through a small incision in the neck – began over a decade ago and is already delivering tangible patient benefits.
“It’s truly gratifying to witness the concept become a reality. Initially developed as a totally endoscopic procedure, we incorporated robot assistance to harness the exceptional dexterity afforded by surgical robots. Our aspiration is that every cardiac surgeon could offer this procedure to their patients.”
Graham Watson, executive chair of InnoScot Health, said: “We congratulate CardioPrecision on its landmark breakthrough in robotic-assisted aortic valve replacement (RAVR). It represents a vital step in producing improved outcomes thanks to minimally invasive techniques for easier procedures, much quicker healing, and fundamentally, making patients’ lives better.”