India's 1st robotic system performs cardiac telesurgery over a distance of 2,000 Km

BENGALURU: Made-in-India surgical robotic system maker SS Innovations on Friday announced that its SSI Mantra has successfully performed robotic cardiac surgery via telesurgery spanning a distance of 2,000 kilometres.

The long-distance tele-robotic assisted intracardiac surgery was performed from SS Innovations' headquarters in Gurugram on a 35-year-old patient at Aster CMI Hospital in Bengaluru.

The surgery, lasting for 2 hours and 40 minutes, involved closing a complex Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) -- a congenital condition where there is a small hole between the two upper chambers of the heart.

The surgery demonstrated exceptional precision, achieving incredibly low latency, further underscoring the accuracy and efficiency of robotic-assisted remote surgery, SS Innovations said.

“This is a defining moment for the future of surgical care in India. With telesurgery powered by SSI Mantra -- designed for India, for the world, we are bridging healthcare gaps and ensuring world-class surgical expertise reaches even the most remote areas. By seamlessly connecting North to South India, we have demonstrated how distance is no longer a barrier to advanced medical care,” said SS Innovations Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Dr. Sudhir Srivastava.

The success of this critical cardiac telesurgery brings a big revolution in Indian healthcare, paving the way for a future where advanced surgical technology plays a vital role in making healthcare more accessible and efficient worldwide.

"As our first approach into cardiac telesurgery, the experience was seamless, and the SSI Mantra Surgical Robotic System proved to be incredibly user-friendly, allowing us to perform the procedure with precision and confidence,” said Dr. Arul Furtado, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru.

Developed by SS Innovations, the SSI Mantra 3 Surgical Robotic System is the only robotic system in the world to have received regulatory approval for telesurgery and tele-proctoring.

The approval of SSI Mantra 3 by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) opens the door to remote surgeries and medical education, enabling healthcare professionals to collaborate across distances.