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A pioneering robotics system heart operation has been conducted at Glenfield Hospital Leicester, thanks to expertise at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester.

Usually, X-rays are used to allow the doctor to monitor what is going on inside the patient during some heart surgery. This means doctors standing close to the patient wear radiation shields such as lead aprons. Protracted procedures can lead to clinician fatigue and high cumulative radiation exposure.

Using the new robotics system, surgeon Dr André Ng controlled the movement of a catheter being used to stimulate and modify the patient?s heart with a robotic arm, while the patient lay on the operating theatre.

Dr Ng said: ?The benefit of the robotics system to the patient is that movement of the catheter could be done with great precision. The doctor can be sitting closer to the monitors displaying electrical signals and x-ray images as opposed to standing at some distance across the room from them, which is current practice.?

The Remote Catheter Manipulation System is a new system and Dr André Ng, who has extensive experience in EPS procedures, is the first apply the system in human studies in the world.

The Department of Cardiology at Glenfield Hospital is one of the largest Electrophysiology Centres in the UK performing over 600 EPS procedures every year.

Richard Scrase