For the first time in the country, vascular robotic technology for coronary intervention was applied at an Ahmedabad hospital - Apex Heart Institute. Under the leadership of its Chairman and Chief Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Tejas Patel, Apex Heart has successfully conducted over 50 angioplasty surgeries in a month - since the commercial installation of CorPath GRX, a vascular robotic system developed by US-based Corindus. Currently, about eight centers in the US have this technology, and outside the US, Apex is the first to have it in Ahmedabad. A robot is said to bridge the gap between experienced and inexperienced cardiologists. The USFDA-approved robotic technology for coronary angioplasty or stenting provides accuracy of sub-1 mm, against the maximum possible 5-10 mm in the case of humans. The robotic system comprises three parts - a cath lab-integrated robotic arm, a cockpit, from where the cardiologist commands the robot through a joystick, and a replaceable cassette, which carries the clinical materials for each individual case requirement. The system costs about $1.5 million and has inbuilt AI, which helps cardiologists take sound clinical judgments. "Currently, this robotic technology is provided on a complimentary basis. Otherwise, this technology will cost about Rs. 75,000 over and above the traditional angioplasty costs. Our aim is to make available this technology to the maximum number of people. For those who can't afford it, we will provide them concessions as well," said Dr. Sanjay Shah, who has partnered Dr. Patel in the stenting procedures at Apex.