Hyderabad, Oct 10 (Representative) Hyderabad based Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Suhas Masilamani won the people’s choice award based on rankings by surgeons from 63 countries at the KS global robotic surgery Innovation competition organized by Vattikuti Foundation. Innovative Robotic Surgery entries by 4 Indian robotic surgeons – Pune’s Dr Aditya Kulkarni of Ruby Hall Clinic, Bengaluru’s Dr Sandeep Nayak, Dr Somashekhar SP, and Dr Suhas Masilamani – won top honours at the ‘KS global Robotic Surgery Innovation competition’. The jury announced results at the annual robotic surgery symposium held at Orsi Academy, Ghent, Belgium recently. A video submission on robot-assisted total knee transplant by Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Suhas, Sunshine Bone & Joint Institute and KIMS-Sunshine Hospital, Hyderabad won the people’s choice award based on rankings by surgeons from 63 countries. Over 8100 people viewed the shortlisted video entries opened up for people’s choice. While video entry by eminent robotic surgeon Dr Sandeep Nayak from MACS Clinic and Fortis Cancer Institute, Bengaluru was placed No 3, video submissions by Dr Somashekhar S P, Aster Hospitals, Bengaluru; and Dr Aditya Kulkarni, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune were judged among the Top 10 out of 141 entries from 14 countries at the KS global robotic surgery innovation competition.
Dr Nayak was recognised for devising a novel approach for removal of thyroid tumours using minimally invasive robotic surgery. He presented results of 50 surgeries conducted over five years using this method with better patient outcomes and negligible scarring. Pune-based Ruby Hall Clinic’s robotic surgeon Dr Aditya Kulkarni’s video entry presented a case of conducting a Robot Assisted Surgery to successfully operate on a young patient to help overcome Median Arcuate Ligament (MAL) syndrome caused by the arc-shaped band of tissue in the chest area pressing on the celiac artery that sends blood to the upper abdomen. The MAL syndrome diagnosis is an equally tough process of exclusion. Bengaluru-based Aster Hospitals robotic surgeon Dr Somashekhar S P’s video entry dealing with a difficult ovarian cancer too was ranked among the Top 10 entries. The awards were presented at the annual ‘Humans at the cutting edge of robotic surgery’ academic symposium by Vattikuti Foundation at Belgium on Sunday. Dr David Neal, Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge and Oxford, UK; Dr Rajeev Kumar, Professor of Urology and Associate Dean (Academics), AIIMS, New Delhi; and Dr Sherry M Wren, Professor of Surgery, Stanford University, USA made up the final jury that chose the top 3 from among the 141 submissions that went through four rounds of judging.
The winning surgeons won $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000 as first, second and third cash prizes. 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. “The innovation awards program seeks to discover and recognise new surgical talent, uncover cutting-edge procedures through instructional robotic surgery videos to benefit a growing generation of surgeons to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation. The annual competition is held in memory of Krishnaswamy Subrahmaniam remembered as “KS”. He is known as an extraordinary human at the cutting edge for his outstanding contribution to the establishment and progress of robotic surgery in India. Subrahmaniam is remembered for the impact he made through efforts to expand robotic surgery programs in India and beyond.