Indian robotic surgeon among 3 winners of top global robotic surgery competition

Bengaluru-based robotic surgeon Dr Sandeep Nayak has been named among the three surgeons from the US and India who won top honours at the ‘KS International Robotic Surgery Innovation competition’ by Michigan-based Robotic Surgery evangelist Vattikuti Foundation.

The video entry by eminent robotic surgeon from MACS Clinic and Fortis Cancer Institute, Bengaluru was placed at the third spot for devising a novel approach for removal of thyroid tumours using minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Dr Nayak presented results of over 50 surgeries conducted over five years using this method with better patient outcomes and negligible scarring.

Robotic surgeons Dr Somashekhar SP, Aster Hospitals, Bengaluru, and Dr Aditya Kulkarni, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune were among the top 10 vying for KS international robotic surgery award, the foundation said in a statement during the awards ceremony at Orsi Academy, Ghent, Belgium over the weekend.

“By focusing on robotic technology and surgeon education, the Vattikuti Foundation has proven the transformative power of innovative technology in revitalizing patients’ health at the hands of inventive humans,” said Raj Vattikuti, Founder, the Vattikuti Foundation.

Dr David Neal, Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge and Oxford, Cambridge, UK; Dr Rajeev Kumar, Professor of Urology and Associate Dean (Academics), AIIMS, New Delhi; and Dr Sherry M Wren, Professor of Surgery, Stanford University, US were in the final jury that chose the top 3 from among the 141 submissions.

The video entry of Dr Adeel Khan, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, demonstrating the first Robotic Liver Transplant (RLT) in the US using a deceased donor in the world was judged No 1.

The video entry of Dr Ahmed Ghazi, director of minimal invasive and robotic surgery and director of simulation training at Johns Hopkins University, US was adjudged No 2 for devising a novel patient specific simulation platform before complex robotic renal cancer surgeries.

Video submission on robot-assisted total knee transplant by Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Suhas Masilamani, Sunshine Bone & Joint Institute and KIMS-Sunshine Hospital, Hyderabad won the people’s choice award based on rankings by surgeons from 63 countries.

Entries from procedures in 10 specialties, including urology, gynaecology, gastro-intestinal, organ transplant and head and neck, from 14 countries were received in the global competition.