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29/04/2010
British Man Undergoes World's First 'Robotic Arm' Assisted Heart Surgery
A British patient was part of a world first yesterday, when he underwent heart surgery that used a robotic arm.
Kenneth Crocker, 70, had the successful operation to correct an irregular heartbeat at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicestershire.
Mr Crocker's ground-breaking operation was completed in just one hour yesterday and hailed an "enormous success" by British doctors.
The retired postal worker from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had suffered from an irregular heartbeat for four years.
Before going into theatre, he said: "Somebody always has to be the first to try something and I've always had a sense of adventure.
"I've been very excited about the operation for weeks. It's a little bit of extra magic being the first in the world."
The procedure involved careful steering of a catheter via veins from the groin to the heart, using X-ray images as a guide.
Normally, surgeons operate at the bedside and have to shield themselves from the radiation by wearing heavy lead aprons.
Now, the new gadget can be attached to the bed and the surgeon can work in a separate room via images on a screen.
Lead surgeon Dr Andre Ng, at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, said the aprons were "burdensome" and that "protracted procedures can lead to clinician fatigue and high cumulative radiation exposure."
The system also improved precision and one day "may allow complex procedures to be made more streamlined," he added.
The Remote Catheter Manipulation System was made by US company Catheter Robotics Inc.
It has been in development for four years but this is the first time it has been used on humans.
Dr Ng's team performs more than 600 such catheter procedures a year.
(LB/BMcC)
Kenneth Crocker, 70, had the successful operation to correct an irregular heartbeat at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicestershire.
Mr Crocker's ground-breaking operation was completed in just one hour yesterday and hailed an "enormous success" by British doctors.
The retired postal worker from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had suffered from an irregular heartbeat for four years.
Before going into theatre, he said: "Somebody always has to be the first to try something and I've always had a sense of adventure.
"I've been very excited about the operation for weeks. It's a little bit of extra magic being the first in the world."
The procedure involved careful steering of a catheter via veins from the groin to the heart, using X-ray images as a guide.
Normally, surgeons operate at the bedside and have to shield themselves from the radiation by wearing heavy lead aprons.
Now, the new gadget can be attached to the bed and the surgeon can work in a separate room via images on a screen.
Lead surgeon Dr Andre Ng, at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, said the aprons were "burdensome" and that "protracted procedures can lead to clinician fatigue and high cumulative radiation exposure."
The system also improved precision and one day "may allow complex procedures to be made more streamlined," he added.
The Remote Catheter Manipulation System was made by US company Catheter Robotics Inc.
It has been in development for four years but this is the first time it has been used on humans.
Dr Ng's team performs more than 600 such catheter procedures a year.
(LB/BMcC)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A cloudy day with outbreaks of mainly light rain at times, although there may be the odd heavier burst. Driest in the south and east during the afternoon. Moderate southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 11 °C.Tonight:Staying cloudy throughout the evening and overnight period with a little rain or drizzle at times. Mild overnight with light winds. Minimum temperature 7 °C.
