On a monthly basis, we will be featuring a complex robotic PCI case performed by a CorPath user. If you are interested in being featured for an interesting procedure performed using CorPath, please contact your Clinical Account Manager.

CorPath Robotic-Assisted PCI for Subacute Total Occlusion of RCA
Dr. Kanwar Singh used the CorPath Vascular Robotic System to robotically deliver his wires and devices during PCI for a subacute total occlusion in the mid right coronary artery. The CorPath System was used to position multiple stents for multiple areas of diseased segment in the RCA. Dr. Singh noted that “This was a busy day in the lab, and it is very beneficial to reduce my radiation exposure during such a complex procedure.”

New data suggests that there is yet another in the long list of risks to interventional teams: cognitive impairment as a result of long term exposure to low dose ionizing radiation. One recent study compared medical professionals who had been exposed to radiation while working in the cardiac catheterization lab to medical professionals in other specialties who had not been exposed to radiation at work. After performing a series of tests on the participants, they found the exposed group had significant deficits in verbal long-term memory and verbal fluency compared to the non-exposed group. What is alarming about this data is that these particular abilities tend to be associated with activity in the left hemisphere of the brain, which can receive up to 4.7 times more radiation exposure than the right side of the head.

Robotic-assistance creates a new level of precision during PCI procedures by enabling sub-mm anatomical measurement and stent positioning with 1mm accuracy. In an abstract presented at the 2015 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference, the authors retrospectively evaluated the incidence of Longitudinal Geographic Miss (LGM) in manual vs. robotic-assisted PCI clinical trials. They found a significant reduction in LGM in the robotic-assisted cases versus manual, even in more complex procedures.

In the Clinical Editor’s Corner of the November issue of Cath Lab Digest, Dr. Morton Kern discusses inconsistencies in radiation safety practices across hospitals. Concerns about radiation safety protocols such as badge monitoring and condition of personal protective equipment are coming to the fore as data on the occupational hazards of the cath lab mounts. In addition to raising awareness for these gaps, Dr. Kern consults with several thought leaders in interventional cardiology on the best practices they have instituted at their hospitals.