World's First Fully Robotic-Assisted Coronary Angiography Successfully Performed by Prof. Dou Kefei’s Team at Fuwai Hospital Using Weiya Medical’s Vascular Interventional Robot
On February 24, Professor Dou Kefei of Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, successfully utilized the “Weiya Guantong” minimally invasive vascular interventional surgical robot, independently developed by Weiya Medical Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Weiya Medical”), to completeWorld’s First Fully Robot-Assisted Coronary Angiography Procedure。
Postoperative Group Photo of Director Dou Kefei’s Surgical Team
The subject of this coronary angiography procedure was a 55-year-old female patient presenting with recurrent chest tightness and shortness of breath, indicating the need for coronary angiography. After administering local anesthesia to the patient and installing a 5F Tig catheter onto the MicroCoronary Intervention Surgical Robot, Director Dou Kefei remotely controlled the catheter and guidewire throughout the entire procedure from the console outside the catheterization laboratory. Using the surgical robot, Director Dou rapidly and precisely advanced the angiographic catheter to the ostium of the patient’s coronary arteries. Contrast agent was then injected through the catheter, successfully completing the coronary angiography. In contrast, currently marketed similar products require manual advancement of the catheter to the root of the ascending aorta before robotic-assisted manipulation can begin.
Angiographic Catheter via Subclavian Artery Imaging
Left Coronary Angiography Image
Right Coronary Artery Roadmap Imaging
Right Coronary Angiography Image
This coronary angiography procedure successfully validated the clinical value of Weiya Medical’s vascular interventional surgical robot in existing coronary angiography procedures, primarily including:
● Fully robot-operated, physicians are not exposed to DSA radiation:The physician performed the procedure outside the catheterization laboratory, resulting in zero radiation exposure to the operator during the surgery;
● Short machine preparation time:Prior to surgery, the entire installation can be completed in just 5 minutes; furthermore, the machine features an ingenious modular design that is easy for physicians to understand and operate.
● Stable surgical procedure:The integration of robotic arms significantly enhances surgical precision, thereby reducing the likelihood of postoperative complications.
The success of this coronary angiography procedure marks the clinical validation of Weiya Medical’s technological innovations in the field of vascular interventional surgical robots. “WeiYa GuanTong” has become the first domestically developed surgical robot to achieve a breakthrough in the clinical application of coronary angiography, while also completing the world’s first fully robot-assisted coronary angiography.
Professor Dou Kefei of Fuwai Hospital spoke highly of this coronary angiography procedure, stating, “Given the high volume of coronary angiography procedures, clinicians have long anticipated that surgical robots would achieve integration of coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), while ensuring rapid and stable operation. Our team is honored to participate in Weiya Medical’s human clinical trials. We believe the success of this coronary angiography procedure will help promote the clinical adoption of surgical robots in coronary interventions. Based on years of clinical collaboration, we consider Weiya Medical’s surgical robot to have robust capabilities for coronary interventional procedures. We also look forward to the near-term clinical implementation of Weiya Medical’s vascular interventional surgical robot in remote treatment settings, thereby benefiting patients.”
Director Dou Kefei’s Team Performs Surgery Using a Robotic System
About Weiya Medical
Weiya Medical, established in 2021, specializes in the research and development of novel medical devices and consumables required for minimally invasive vascular interventional procedures. It is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to developing internationally advanced vascular interventional surgical robots. The company has launched its next-generation vascular interventional surgical robot, capable of performing angiography and interventional treatments for coronary, neurovascular, and peripheral procedures simultaneously. Technologically, the company possesses a proprietary delivery system that achieves breakthrough improvements in key areas such as delivery precision, stability, and safety, fully meeting the clinical needs of interventional physicians. The company’s products have gained recognition from numerous top-tier experts in China, and its clinical progress is at the forefront domestically.
About Director Dou Kefei
Director Dou Kefei
Dou Kefei, Chief Physician and Doctoral Supervisor, currently serves as Director of the Internal Medicine Management Committee, Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Metabolic Diseases, and Deputy Director of the Coronary Heart Disease Center at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2020, he was selected for the National Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Project and awarded the title of "National Expert with Outstanding Contributions in Middle and Young Age Groups." He holds positions as Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Cardiovascular Metabolic Medicine Professional Committee under the Expert Committee of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chairman of the Cardiovascular Metabolic Specialized Disease Medical Consortium, and Chairman of the Primary Care Cardiologists Branch of the Chinese Society of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia.Dr. Dou has long been engaged in clinical diagnosis, interventional therapy, and basic research related to coronary heart disease. As an interventional cardiologist, he has performed over 20,000 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. He has repeatedly served as the primary operator demonstrating complex procedures at international academic conferences, including the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting in the United States and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EuroPCR) congress. He has led 18 research projects as Principal Investigator, including grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences. He has published more than 100 SCI-indexed articles as first or corresponding author in top-tier journals such as *Journal of the American College of Cardiology* (*JACC*), *Journal of Nuclear Medicine*, and *JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions*. He has received seven provincial or ministerial-level awards for scientific and technological achievements. As a key inventor, he has been granted four patents and facilitated the market launch of one original innovative medical device.