Use of robotic assistance to reduce proximity and air-sharing during percutaneous cardiovascular intervention.

Lemos, Pedro A; Franken, Marcelo; Mariani, Jose; Pitta, Fabio G; Oliveira, Fredric Ap; Cunha-Lima, Gabriella; Caixeta, Adriano M; Almeida, Breno O; Garcia, Rodrigo G

Aim: Traditional percutaneous cardiovascular interventions require close physical proximity between the patients and the healthcare team, posing occupational hazards that range from radiation exposure to interpersonal air contamination. Materials & methods: Prospective single-arm pilot study (n = 10) to investigate robotic-assisted intervention as a strategy to reduce proximity during the procedure. Primary end point: composite of angiographic success, intervention performed with the team positioned >2 meters from the patient for ≥50% procedure duration, and absence of in-hospital death or acute target lesion occlusion. Results: The composite primary end point was achieved in 100% of cases. Conclusion: Robotic-assisted percutaneous intervention provided successful invasive treatment while reducing proximity and shared air space between the care-delivery team and the patient during the procedure. Trial registration number: NCT04379453 (Clinicaltrials.gov).