Remote robotic surgery successfully tested in Panama for stroke treatment – UPI.com

March 24 (UPI) — A procedure performed in Panama using remote robotic surgery to treat strokes is generating interest among experts, who say the technology could allow specialists to expand access to critical care by working without the patient being in a hospital.

The development addresses a structural limitation of the health care system: many centers lack highly trained neurointerventionists even if they have medical infrastructure, which forces patients or specialists to be transferred and creates serious delays in emergency situations.

The case, developed by XCath Inc. as part of the Operation RoboAngel clinical study, consisted of telerobotic mechanical thrombectomy — the process of removing a clot from a blood vessel — on a patient in his late 60s.

The procedure was performed at the Panama Clinic in Panama City, while the neurosurgeon was working away from Santiago, more than 124 miles away.

According to the company, the surgeon removed the clot on the first try and restored blood flow to the brain within minutes. The patient awoke with speech and showed remarkable recovery in the following hours.

The neurosurgeon who performed the intervention, Victor Mendes Pereira, highlighted the impact of improvements in access to care.

“Today, geography is no longer a death sentence. For years I have seen how two patients with the same condition have completely different outcomes because of where they are. This progress shows that this can change,” he said.

Independent experts said the real value of this technology lies in its ability to reduce gaps in access to highly specialized treatments.

“I think this is a landmark case in the history of surgery. Stroke care is one of the fewest areas in the world,” Vipul Patel, executive director of the Illinois Society for Robotic Surgery, told UPI.

Adnan H. Siddiqui, CEO and chief medical officer of the Jacobs Institute in New York state, told UPI that the vast majority of stroke patients with more severe types go untreated — at least not in time.

“Many patients with large vessel occlusions are not treated due to lack of expertise or access to thrombectomy centers. This is happening not only in developing countries, but also in the United States,” Siddiqui said.

“Remote thrombectomy has real potential to change this, bringing more effective and life-saving treatment to patients.”

Siddiqui stressed that time is the most important factor in these cases.

He said, “If we can reopen the cerebral artery within two hours of the onset, there is a 90% probability of functional independence, which drops to 30% within six hours. This innovation makes it possible to greatly reduce the effect of treatment delay.”

Demetrius Lopez, director of brain surgery at Advocate Health in Chicago, said such an intervention could help overcome structural limitations in the health care system.

“Remote robotic intervention is a way to overcome many of the current barriers to access for neurovascular procedures, particularly in time-sensitive conditions such as stroke,” he said.

“We found that robotic neurointervention is safe and has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of procedures, which will likely translate to better outcomes for patients.”

From XCath, CEO Eduardo Fonseca framed the procedure as part of a broader shift in medical practice.

“This is, above all, a life story. It’s about saving people. Today we’re showing that technology can change history,” he said.

Fonseca said the goal is to expand access to such interventions.

“Our commitment is to bring this technology to every patient who needs it, no matter where they are,” he said.

The Panama case builds on previous advances made in the country, including procedures in aneurysm patients in clinical research, which have made it possible to progress towards this type of intervention in real emergency situations.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, each year, they cause more than 5 million deaths and leave another 5 million people with severe disabilities.