Robotic Stem Cell Therapy Arrives in Thailand

More evidence that Thailand is the cardiac stem cell capital of the world!

In a historic operation, thoracic surgeons at Bangkok Heart Hospital performed a robot-assisted cardiac stem cell implantation on October 27th, 2005 using Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci Surgical System and VesCell™ adult stem cell therapy for heart disease on an ischemic cardiomyopathy patient from Fayetteville, Arkansas USA.

Dr. Sujit Banyatpiyaphod utilized the da Vinci system for the pericardial incision. Thoracic surgeon, Dr. Kit V. Arom then implanted the stem cells directly into the patient’s heart using the minimally invasive stem cell injection technique pioneered by Dr. Amit Patel, Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

Robotically assisted surgery requires only three small holes be made between the ribs. Through these holes, two robotic arms and an endoscope (a tiny camera) gain access to the heart, making surgery possible without opening the chest.