World's first remote heart procedure using robotic arm

Washington, Nov 16 (ANI): The world's first remote heart procedure, using a robotic arm alongside 3-D mapping is set to take place at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

Dr Andre Ng, senior lecturer at the University of Leicester and consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Glenfield Hospital, will be carrying out another "world first" using the robotic arm in combination with advanced 3-dimensional mapping to fix an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (AF).

Patients with AF benefit from catheter ablation - but the procedure carried out by hand, can take several hours and results can be variable. The robotic system is best suited for this type of ablation.

"The new Amigo robotic system we have at Glenfield is unique and a new improved version of the original system which can now be used with different types of catheters," said Ng.

"We are the first centre in the world to use this new Amigo system and hence the first to be able to combine the two cutting edge technologies together for the ablation procedure," he added.

The doctor can use the Amigo to move catheters via the remote controller safely in an adjacent room outside the x-ray zone, thereby reducing the radiation exposure and eliminating the need for wearing heavy lead aprons.

Ng said, "Combining this for the first time with the accuracy of placing ablation lesions with the CARTO-3 3D mapping system is a significant way forward."

"The versatility of the new Amigo system also allows for cross-platform use of different types of catheters and different mapping systems which greatly enhance treatment options." (ANI)