Robotic System Makes Coronary Stenting Easier

A remote controlled robotic system can safely and effectively guide implantation of stents during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, according to a new study.

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY, USA), enrolled 164 patients (mean age 64, 75% male) at nine sites to the CorPath Percutaneous Robotically-Enhance Coronary Intervention Study (PRECISE) study. Most of the patients had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a prior PCI. Lesions had to be 24 mm or less in length, able to be covered by one stent with 2 mm margins, and with a reference vessel diameter of 2.5-4 mm. The primary endpoint was clinical procedural success, defined as less than 30% residual stenosis in the target lesion at the completion of the procedure, and the absence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 48 hours post index procedure or at hospital discharge, whichever occurs first.


The results showed that technical success, defined as completing a procedure without the need to convert to manual operation, was successfully completed in 98.8% of patients, without device-related complications. There were no in-hospital deaths, Q-wave myocardial infarcts (MIs), or revascularizations; however, there were four non-Q-wave MIs. At 30 days, there were no additional major adverse events. The mean robotic procedure duration was 24 minutes, mean fluoroscopy duration was 11 minutes, and the mean contrast volume used was 144 mL. The study was presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions meeting, held during May 2012 in Las Vegas (NV, USA).

“Of the 162 procedures, physicians needed to convert to manual implantation in only two instances, and the fault was not that of the robotic system,” said lead author Giora Weisz, MD. “The remote interventional cockpit also reduced operator radiation exposure by 95%.”

The CorPath 200 robotic device, a product of Corindus Vascular Robotics (Natick, MA, USA), provides procedure control for PCI procedures from an interventional cockpit, allowing precise, robotic-assisted placement of coronary guidewires and stents or balloon catheters. The physician operates in a comfortable environment, completely focused on patient physiology. The ergonomically optimized cockpit enhances visualization, minimizes fatigue, and protects the operator against exposure to radiation and other occupational hazards such as back strain from heavy lead protection aprons.

Related Links:
Columbia University Medical Center
Corindus Vascular Robotics