Heart surgery performed on stage during cardiology conference
In what is believed to be a first, a robotic atrial septal defect (ASD) procedure was performed live on stage by a doctor at a major cardiology conference. The procedure happened this month during the 2026 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) annual meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
India-based SS Innovations International demonstrated the remote procedure capabilities of its SSi Mantra and SSi MantrAsana tele-surgeon console at EACTS. It then showed the technology to a noncardiac audience at the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) India conference in New Delhi, India.
Sudhir Srivastava, MD, the company’s chairman of the board and CEO, successfully performed the robotic-assisted ASD cardiac telesurgery using the system live on stage. He performed the procedure on a patient 7,500 miles away at Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Bengaluru, India. He had patient-side support at the hospital from Dr. Lalit Malik, chief cardiac surgeon of Manipal Hospital Jaipur. EACTS is the largest global gathering of the cardiothoracic surgical community.
At the inaugural SRS India conference, four surgeons successfully completed four separate robotic-assisted telesurgeries featuring the Mantra systems. The remote procedures performed at the event, or broadcast live at the event from the hospital, included a right partial nephrectomy, a right hemicolectomy, a left-sided pyeloplasty on a pediatric patient and a modified radical hysterectomy with a sentinel lymph node biopsy.
“We were grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate the advanced telesurgery capabilities of our SSi Mantra surgical robotic system and SSi MantrAsana tele-surgeon console this month at the 40th EACTS Annual Meeting in Barcelona and the inaugural SRS India Conference in New Delhi," Srivastava said in a statement. "As a pioneer and leader in telesurgery technology, SS Innovations aims to dismantle traditional geographic barriers and democratize access to world-class healthcare.”
The company is working toward making surgical robotic technologies affordable and more accessible to a global population. It has regulatory approval in several countries and is working toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
The company said the system is engineered to enable real-time remote procedures through ultra-low latency connectivity, high-definition visualization and precise instrument control. As of Oct. 23, 2026, a total of 205 telesurgeries, including intricate cardiac procedures, have been performed with the SSi Mantra surgical robotic system.
The company has submitted a response to an FDA request for additional information regarding its 510(k) submission for the SSi Mantra system. This included final data from an expanded human clinical validation study. The study was designed to provide evidence that the SSi Mantra meets the FDA’s requirements for safety, efficacy and feasibility.
The company is hoping the FDA will complete its review of its 510(k) submission in the first quarter of 2027.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]