Robotic cardiology tech eyed for telehealth-aided stroke care

A company that offers robotic technology for cardiology procedures is seeking to expand the technology’s use for vascular treatment of brain disease.

Corindus Vascular Robotics, a vendor of robot-assisted minimally invasive vascular treatment for cardiology procedures, is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to use its CorPath GRX radiology system to offer minimally invasive vascular treatment of brain diseases, which includes stroke.

The company hopes to obtain FDA clearance within three or four months, says Turk Aquilla, a radiologist in Charleston, S.C., and chief medical officer at Corindus Vascular Robotics. “We’re now optimizing the robot to meet the needs of the neural tools.”

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To do that, the company is adapting a robotic cardiology system to serve as a dedicated robot for stroke care, Aquilla explains. “With robotics, we already have the precision needed and will now apply artificial intelligence to the stroke care robot so we can learn how different radiologists begin to use different techniques.”

In essence, the cardiology robot is being turned into a remote diagnostic telemedicine tool that also can be used as a therapeutic tool.

“In December, we did five remote cases from 20 miles away, so we know that remote surgeries can be done and done well,” Aquilla says. “With stroke, every minute has a direct impact on the patient. This will change how we do care in the future.”