Apollo Hospitals launches robot for brain stroke patients

Hyderabad, Oct 29 (PTI) One of Asia's premier healthcare groups, Apollo Hospitals, today launched a 'stroke robot' which will assist experts to diagnose and advise treatment for brain stroke patients within the country and outside, its chairman said. "RP-7, a state-of-the-art, wireless and internet-based robot allows neuro-physicians sitting in the comfort of their offices to speak to the patient, nurse and the doctor on duty with the help of a monitor located in the place of the head of the contraption. The physician after logging in into his computer or laptop can virtually make the robot move to any corner of the room with the help of the cursor," authorities said. "It is important that a brain stroke patient reaches the nearest neurology centre within four hours. These robots will help us cut short the time as vital signs of the patient can be checked and diagnostics could be advised within minutes. Doctors can also speak with family members, check bedside monitors and ventilator settings," said Dr Subhashini Prabhakar, Head of Neurology, Apollo Hospitals. "Non-communicable diseases like brain stroke will be making a hole in the pockets of Indians to the tune of USD 270 billion within a decade and finding suitable technology will cut down the costs of treatment," Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, Pratap C Reddy said. Initially, the RP-7 will be placed here and in due course of time seven major centers of Apollo Hospitals will have similar robots helping the brain stroke patients, he added. Demonstrating a treatment protocol from a hospital in China, Dr Deepak Arjun Das of Apollo Chennai said, "the FDA cleared RP-7 also allows direct control to medical devises such as electronic stethoscopes, ultrasound, MRI and even transmit medical data to the remote physician". Informing that the rate of deaths due to brain stroke currently stands at 250 per one lakh population in the country, Executive Director of Apollo Hospitals Sangitha Reddy said, "Apollo Hospitals will bring down the incidence of brain stroke deaths in the country". PTI CORR NSK