In October 2019, Dr. Ryan Madder sat in front of a control panel in Waltham, MA, preparing for a robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as he has done on countless occasions. Beyond the familiarity of the robotic controls and monitor with fluoroscopic images of the heart, this was anything but a typical procedure. While Dr. Madder sat outside Boston, he was about to attempt PCI on simulated patients located in New York and San Francisco.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the US healthcare system, forcing innovation to move at an accelerated pace and resulting in new applications for existing technologies and some entirely new solutions for patient care. It especially impacted hospitals who were inundated with COVID-19 patients, shining a light on the need to offer treatment options outside of the hospital setting. The CorPath® GRX System is one example of an existing technology that has helped cardiologists treat their patients in new and innovative ways.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic will be felt long after the number of cases has decreased and the world has adjusted to the new normal. Lasting effects on business, daily life and the medical sector will influence the way society moves forward – and significant changes to the healthcare field and its standard protocols are to be expected. One of the departments that will likely undergo shifts as a result of coronavirus is cardiology, and specifically, the cardiac catheterization lab.
Ashley Koppenheffer, a radiologic technician from the University of Washington, has been highly involved in her team’s robotic program since it started in August 2018. This year, Ashley attended our second annual RoboSummit, a meeting of robotics experts from across the globe, to discuss the important role of the bedside user during robotic intervention. At the meeting, Ashley hosted a hands-on educational session for seven other robotics super users, sharing her first-hand experience with complex robotic intervention and pointers for sharpening their skills with robotics.
Read on to learn more about Ashley’s hobbies, what led her to the cath lab, and how she and her team have embraced robotics.
The Royal Family’s Countess of Wessex, Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, visited Toronto in November for the second part of her North American trip. With her strong personal interest in health and wellness, along with assisting people with disabilities, the countess visited both Toronto Western Hospital and Toronto General Hospital. Both hospitals specialize in cardiology along with the treatment of strokes and transplants.
For 25 years, Deloitte has recognized the fastest-growing North American companies with an annual ranking of the top 500 companies in the technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech sectors. This year, Corindus, A Siemens Healthineers Company earned the 339th spot on the Technology Fast 500 list, citing 295% revenue growth between 2015 and 2018.
This year, we introduced the first Global Robotic Challenge, challenging robotic users across the world to participate in a fun competition with their peers. Participants were timed while loading the CorPath GRX Single-use Cassette – from wire to balloon – in a practice setting. With over 50 contestants, we’re proud to announce Dale Southard from WellSpan York Hospital as the winner of the first Global Robotic Challenge. Dale completed the challenge in 44 seconds! The team at York has been incredibly successful with vascular robotics, upgrading their system in 2017 and completing over 200 robotic procedures! We caught up with Dale to hear his thoughts on learning robotic technology and how he sharpened his skills to win the challenge.
