Drug shows promise in prostate cancer spread to bone

University of Michigan Medical School professor of Internal Medicine and Urology Dr. David C. Smith led a study on the drug cabozantinib and its effects on patients with prostate cancer that has spread to the bone.

Bone scans were used on the patients to measure the effect of the drug; 12% saw complete uptake and about 66% showed improvement in their bone scans.

Cabozantinib is designed to work on tumors that spread to the bone, which historically are difficult to treat.  According to the study, a majority of patients saw a reduction in pain and some also reduced or eliminated narcotic painkillers after treatment.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/12/09/drug-shows-promise-in-prostate-cancer-spread-to-bone/.

Tool to detect early-stage tumours

Emma Carland, PhD researcher at Swinburne University of Technology is developing a new way to detect cancer at an early stage.  Cancer still remains the leading cause of death in the world.  It is well known that the earlier a cancer is detected, the better chance a patient has to overcome it and move on with his or her life.

Carland was inspired by her work with children at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.  She is developing a sensor made of optic fibers.  The tiny fiber basically pushes against tissues within the body.  The sensor tells the user whether the resistance from the tissue is "high" or "low." 

“A tumour is stiffer than cells from a healthy area,” Carland says. “So, the difference between the sensor’s signals tells you how stiff the tissue is — a diseased tissue, being firmer, will push back at the sensor with more force, resulting in a larger difference.”

Currently doctors take tissue samples and then test them for abnormalities.  Using this new device will allow medical staff to test small tissue regions and potentially identify any abnormal tissues.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/12/11/tool-to-detect-early-stage-tumours/.

US facing drastic shortage of doctors

According to a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, the US will see a shortage of 52,000 primary care physicians (PCPs) by the year 2025.

This poses some problems, as PCPs have many benefits and are helpful to patients.   Since they see their patients regularly, patients avoid multiple tests or unnecessary ones by instead going to many specialists.  Costs are lower for the same reason.  Also, coordination of medications is easier since they all originate from the same place.

Medical students see the benefits of going into primary care; however, "When young people graduate from medical school $250,000 of debt and see they can make $150,000 a year as a primary care physician, or be a cardiologist and make $450,000 a year, which one do they pick?" says Dr. Perry Pungo, Vice President for Education at the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Medical students see the benefits of going into primary care, but feel, "disenfranchised by the whole process" says PJ Tiberio, a third year medical student at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.  Fighting with insurance companies, having lower reimbursement rates, and being pressured to increase the volume of patients by decreasing how long they are seen are some reasons medical students would prefer to specialize in other fields.

Primary care is valuable because of the, "holistic approach the doctor takes when assessing a patient’s health. Building a stable relationship with a primary care doctor can help a person head off chronic diseases that incur significant financial and quality-of-life costs," say medical professionals.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/12/08/us-facing-drastic-shortage-of-doctors/.

New technology allows for quicker recovery time for hysterectomy patients

Dr. Thomas Payne, Director of Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery and Vattikuti Network Surgeon, discusses the benefits of using minimally invasive robotic surgery. 

The article features a patient who has a robotic hysterectomy.  She is used to hearing and has had friends who have been recupertaing for 6 weeks after a hysterectomy;  however, she was back to work after a few days, jogging after two weeks, and playing on her soccer team just a week later. 

As Dr. Payne says, "If you are going to have a minimally invasive surgery you would want the one that's most minimalistic...so if you can move from four or three incisions down to one or two, then that would be beneficial to you as far as recovery and pain and getting back to your normal life afterwards."

Robotic surgery can involve up to 4 ports, or incisions, into the body.  One is for the camera and up to three can be used for instruments for surgery.  Dr. Payne and the doctors at the Texas Institute for Robotic Sugery have developed a technique that only requires two ports, one for the camera and one more for the instrument.  They are capable of doing this because the instruments now are capable of much more than they used to be in the past.

For the full article, visit http://www.kvue.com/news/New-technology-allows-for-quicker-recovery-time-for-hysterectomy-patients-180230751.html.

Asia's first Robotic Aortic Surgery at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

Greetings from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

It gives us immense pleasure to inform that for the first time in Asia, the Institute of Robotic Surgery @ Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi along with the Vascular Surgery Department performed Robotic Aortic Surgery successfully. The procedure was Aorto - Bifemoral Bypass for severe Aorto - iliac atherosclerotic disease. The entire aorto - graft anastomosis was performed laparoscopically with robotic assistance. We have performed 4 such procedures with successful outcome.

A high-definition video depicting the steps and the operative details of this procedure is available at the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7bVWCiv9Lk

This unique feat has been possible due to unconditional and total support of the management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and blessings from colleagues like the Vattikuti Foundation. We take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for the same and look forward to your continued blessings and guidance.

In case of any query, please feel free to contact Dr. Arvind Kumar, Dr. Ajay Yadav, Dr. Belal Bin Asaf:
*Prof. Arvind Kumar                             Dr. Ajay Yadav                           *Dr. Belal Bin Asaf
(9810765405)                                         (9717183355)                               (9999965855)
arvindreena@gmail.com                          ajay.vascular@gmail.com                asafbelal@gmail.com

Boys with cryptorchidism at higher cancer risk

Boys born with cryptochidism, or undescended testicles, are at higher risk for testicular cancer. A meta-analysis shows that boys born with one or both testicles undescended are three times as likely to develop the cancer.

It is possible that the testes that do not descend are abnormal, which may be the reason why it is more likely to develop cancer.  Doctors usually recommend surgery for boys between 6-18 months old to correct the problem.  The reason for the surgery is to avoid any fertility issues.  Since the testes remain in the body, the temperature is too hot and can cause fertility issues. 

For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50001328/ns/health-mens_health/.

Metal nanoparticles may improve cancer treatment

A research team lead by Mamdooh Alqathami at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) have discovered a way to increase the efficacy of radiation without increasing the side effects to patients.

Bismuth concentrates by double the dosage of radiation.  Doctors can then reduce the amount of initial radiation with the same effect.  Patients, however, will hopefully feel less side effects.  Bismuth based nanoparticles increased the radiation dosage by 90%.

Bismuth is a heavy and expensive metal.  Researchers have also used gold in the past.  Since both are expensive, researchers are looking for cheaper ways to do the same thing.

The research was an international collaboration between RMIT, the University of Melbourne, the University of Surrey (UK) and the Institute of Cancer Research (UK).

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/12/01/metal-nanoparticles-may-improve-cancer-treatment/.

350-bed cancer hospital to be set up in Bihar

A new cancer super-specialty hospital is to be opened in Nalanda, Bihar by the central government.  This hospital will have 350 beds.  It is going to be the first specialty cancer hospital in the state by the government.

Unfortunately, since there currently is no cancer hospital in the state, residents are forced to go elsewhere for treatment.  Depending on the specialty, this can be very far from patients' homes.

Dr. Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services is from a village in the area.

“The main purpose behind setting up a cancer hospital is to provide the facility to cancer patients and help them to get affordable treatment in the state,” Dr Prasad said.

So far there is no confirmation as to when the hospital will be opened.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/23/350-bed-cancer-hospital-to-be-set-up-in-bihar/.

250 trauma centres proposed in India

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana chief minister, has announced that the central government has proposed to open 250 new trauma centers across the country.  The leading number of deaths in 15-29 year olds in India is due to road accidents.  Wearing a helmet is the most important way to save oneself from major injury.  India has experienced a 3% increase in road accidents annually.

India also needs to train more medical staff in trauma care.  Unfortunately, trauma care varies from state to state and patients do not reach a trauma center until many hours after fatal injuries have been incurred.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/23/250-trauma-centres-proposed-in-india-hooda/.

Cancer: Some cells don't know when to stop

Researchers at University of Southern California are using new imaging techniques to look at cancerous cells and how some keep replicating, despite being exposed to chemotherapy.

This new imaging is allowing them to see why some cancerous cells keep dividing while others are shut down and stop with exposure to chemotherapy.  The cells that keep going, called "checkpoint mutants," have been seen to keep replicating.

Prior research indicated that the exposure to chemotherapy would stop the checkpoint mutants from replicating and would damage DNA.  With this new technique they are able to see that they keep working.

Their findings have been published in the journal Molecular 7 Cellular Biology.

For the full article, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htm

5 cancers men should worry about

There are five types of cancer that men should be aware of and what the symptoms are and what to do about them.  Here is a summary:

1. Prostate Cancer - doctors can run a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test or perform a biopsy. False alarms involve urination problems.
2. Lung Cancer - doctors can perform a biopsy. Pnemonia and tumors both are white on x-rays.  Pnemonia could be a false alarm, since it will go away, but the tumor will still be there after a few weeks.
3. Colorectal Cancer - always be aware if there is blood in stool. This could be the only warning sign, even though the bleeding could be a result of a hemorrhoid, diverticulosis, colitis or a blood vessel. 
4. Bladder Cancer - blood in urine is a reason to go see the doctor. It could be a sign of bladder cancer or kidney stones.  Regardless, go to the doctor.
5. Lymphoma - consult a doctor if swollen lymph nodes are noticed in the neck, armpit or groin area for over a week. Infections make lymph nodes larger, but they should also go back down once the infection is gone. Doctors will know if they need to take a biopsy of the lymph nodes. 

For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47520976/ns/health-mens_health/.

Study: Breast cancer can turn off key immune response

In the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine, a study published by researchers at Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne discusses how breast cancer can "turn off" the immune response from the body, which allows the cancer to spread to the patient's bones.

Belinda Parker, who led the study, hopes that by identifying and understanding how the cancer allows itself to spread will determine how future patients can avoid the cancer spreading to their bones.

The researchers have experimented with two ways to "turn on" the immune response to help fight breast cancer.  However, it will take years before the practice can become routine.

Parker and her researchers have discovered that in mice, when breast cancer spread into the blood, the IRF7 gene is "switched off," which is the gene that releases interferon.  Interferon is an immune protein which would normally detect and fight the cancerous cells which would spread.

Determining, and experimenting with, two ways to get the interferon detecting the cancerous cells is the work that Parker and her team are currently doing.  They plan on having a clinical trial in two or three years.

For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48287917/ns/health-cancer/.

New tool separates tumour-causing cancer cells from more benign cells

Tumor-causing cells are more flexible than benign cells.  Benign cells have a cytoskeleton made up of rod-shaped protiens.  Researchers think in the haste of attempting to divide quickly, cancerous cells do not bother developing a cytoskeleton, and instead continue to divide. 

The resulting "squishiness" is what researchers at The Methodist Hospital have taken advantage of and have designed a tool around this characteristic.  Because benign cells are rigid, they are not able to pass through a 7 micrometer hole.  The flexible cancerous cells are able to squeeze through this barrier, resulting in a separation of benign and cancerous cells.

Furthermore, tests performed on the separated cancerous cells have found that these are less likely to have a cytoskeleton and more likely to have a motility gene.  This could explain why some cancers metastasize.  Being able to test for cells that are metastic helps doctors determine the success of a cancer treatment or if a cancer will spread.

For more information and the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/05/new-tool-separates-tumour-causing-cancer-cells-from-more-benign-cells/

Exercise linked to lower breast cancer risk

Remember those New Year Resolutions to lose weight or start an exercise routine?  Well, here's another reason to keep that up: researchers are finding that keeping a healthy weight and exercise routine can lower the risk of breast cancer.  Even if people are not routine exercisers pick up exercising, no matter how much later in life, will benefit.  The study found that even women who started exercising after menopause saw a 30% decrease in their risk of breast cancer.

For the whole article, visit http://todayhealth.today.com/_news/2012/06/25/12401665-exercise-linked-to-lower-breast-cancer-risk?lite

Coffee may help protect against skin cancer

A Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health Professor, Jiali Han, has found an association between caffine consumption and reduced cancer risk.

The study found that women who drink more than three cups of coffee a day are 21% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.  Men are 10% less likely to develop the same compared to those who drink less than one cup of coffee a month.  The researchers determined that decaf coffee doesn't have an effect, so they are saying that it is more than likely the caffeine.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer.  But, since it doesn't usually spread to other organs.  Melenoma is a more deadly type of skin cancer.  More reasearch needs to be done to conclude more findings, but other studies have found caffeine decreases the risk of prostate, breast and endometrial cancers.

For the full article, visit http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/02/12527378-coffee-may-help-protect-against-skin-cancer?lite.

FDA approves Afinitor for some breast cancers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Afinitor to treat breast cancer patients who have not had reactions to other medications.  Afinitor is used already for pancreatic, brain, and kidney cancers.

For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48263229/ns/health-cancer/.

Researchers explore connection between popular pain relievers, bladder cancer

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth show a possible link between ibuprofen users of 10+ years.  Their study involved over 2,500 bladder cancer and non-bladder cancer patients from the New England area in the US.  They looked at the relationship between NSAIDs and a new class of NSAIDs, COX-2s. Their study was published in the International Journal of Cancer.

For the full article, please visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/09/researchers-explore-connection-between-popular-pain-relievers-bladder-cancer/.

Michigan Hospital Systems in Merger Talks

Henry Ford Health System and Beaumont Health System have started discussing the possibility of merging.  The combined organization would become a $6.4 billion annual revenue hospital system, with 8 hospitals, 38 medical centers, 3,600 beds, 42,000 employees, 1,900 employed physicians, 3,000 private practice physicians, and a 643,000 member health plan.

For the full article, visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204846304578090831989898580.html.

Doctors will have to work in rural areas

Doctors in Bihar state in India will be required to work in rural areas, according to Bihar Health Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey.  More help is needed in the rural areas of India.  Over 8,000 more doctors are needed to help Indians. 

The state government is talking about the potential of opening up to three more medical colleges to provide for this need.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/05/doctors-will-have-to-work-in-rural-areas-bihar-health-minister/.

Making robotic surgery easier and safer: a clinical review

Vattikuti Network Surgeon Meenakshi Jain discusses the Jain Technique in her published article, "Making robotic surgery easier and safer: a clinical review" which has been published in the World Journal of Laparoscopic Surgery.

For a direct link to the article, visit http://www.jaypeejournals.com/eJournals/ShowText.aspx?ID=3314&Type=FREE&TYP=TOP&IN=_eJournals/images/JPLOGO.gif&IID=256&Value=4&isPDF=YES.

New device could diagnose tumour in less than 20 minutes

In London, researchers at QuantuMDx are developing a medical device that could cut tumor diagnosis to 20 minutes.  This device should be completed within the next three years.  The goal is to have a low-cost device that will analyze the tumor DNA to make sure patients can get proper care as quickly as possible.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/11/04/new-device-could-diagnose-tumour-in-less-than-20-minutes/.

Meet Mumbai's first robo doc

Mid-day.com highlights and interviews Dr. Ramakant Panda of Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai.  Dr. Panda is a Vattikuti Foundation Network surgeon and Asian Heart Institute is a Vattikuti Foundation Network Hospital.

For the full article, visit http://www.mid-day.com/specials/2011/jul/310711-medical-technology-Robot-surgeon.htm.

New Firefly Technology Lights Up More Precise Kidney Sparing Surgery

In the world of kidney cancers, robotic surgery was a huge breakthrough.  Then came the robotic partial nephrectomy which allowed surgeons to keep part of the kidney in tact for the patient.  Now, with a new technology called Firefly, surgeons can help their patients even one step further.

Firefly is a dye that lights up a bright firefly green (hence the name Firefly) which under a floroscopic camera can light up various items, such as blood flow to a tumor, distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells and then verify after the tumor has been removed that the blood supply has been restored to the kidney.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has established kidney cancer as one of the ten most common cancers in America.

For the full article, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120605143424.htm.

Breast cancer cases shoot up in India

More in more women in India are coming to doctors offices, often in the late stages, with breast cancer.  It is though that now with a different lifestyle that breast cancer is on the rise.  It is important that women do not feel taboo about talking about breast cancer or checking because, "the good thing is it can be completely cured or controlled through proper treatment," says Dr. Sanjay Sharma, president of the Breast Cancer Foundation in India.

Lifestyle changes such as early puberty, late menupause, not breastfeeding their children and having children later in life increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer incidence in India has doubled in the past 24 years.  Part of the issue is the detection process, but the problem still lies in that about 80% of the cases that are seen by doctors are in late stages.  Women feel like they cannot talk about this to their friends or family. 

The next important steps include increasing awareness and getting women tested.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/10/24/breast-cancer-cases-shoot-up-in-india/.

Do you know anyone affected by breast cancer?  Did they wait too long to go to the doctor?  What are your thoughts?

Enzalutamide is a drug that helps men with advanced stages of prostate cancer live longer.  The good news is it helped the men live 37% longer than without the pill.  However, this comparison increased their time from 13.6 months to 18.4 months.  Also, the drug will cost $6,000 USD per month.

While survival rate can be deceiving, the cost to the patient is very high.  Tests are being done to use the drug more efficiently so as to administer it sooner, so the drug could potentially increase the survival rate even more.

Even if the drug could be used in a different way, the cost may say the same.


For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48679807/ns/health-mens_health/

What do you think about this? What would you do if you were a patient, take it or not take it?

Breast cancer awareness drive: monuments to be lit in pink

Max India Foundation and Max Healthcare in India are bringing awareness to the masses by lighting up well-known monuments to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Max Healthcare reports that 1 in 25-30 urban women and 1 in 65-70 women in rural India are affected by breast cancer. 

To literally "shine a light" on the subject, Safdarjung Tomb, Rahim Khane Khana Tomb and Subz Burj will be lit in pink this month.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/10/20/breast-cancer-awareness-drive-monuments-to-be-lit-in-pink/.


Did you see any of these monuments lit in pink?  Send us a picture!

Cuba tests prostate cancer vaccine

At the Center for Engineering and Biotechnology (CIBG) in Camaguey, researcher and urologist Ranfis Rodriguez has administed a vaccine to cancer patients.  Fifty-six patients have received the vaccine.  Their results show that a there is a decrease in their prostate specific antigen (PSA), but with no (or little) production of testosterone.  Another researcher, Jesus Junco, hopes to treat patients with stage 3 and 4 prostate cancer with this vaccine.

In Cuba, about 2,500 men of 60+ years in age developed prostate cancer.  Of those, the mortality rate is close to 60%.  This vaccine would help many patients.

Would you be willing to take a vaccine if you were diagnosed with prostate cancer?

Scientists develop "barcode" blood test for aggressive prostate cancer

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have designed a blood test to look at prostate cancer patients, or at least those who have not yet been diagnosed.  The test can distinguish agressive prostate cancer.  What researchers are thinking that this test, along with the PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen), will allow doctors to select those patients that need to be treated more urgently. 

What do you think?  Would you be willing to have a blood test to determine if you have cancer, and if so, how aggressive?

For the full article, visit  http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/10/09/scientists-develop-%e2%80%98barcode%e2%80%99-blood-test-for-aggressive-prostate-cancer/.

Robot-Assisted Prostate Cancer Surgery More Successful than Open Surgery

The European Urology journal has published a study led by the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  This study compares open radical prostatectomies and robot-assisted radical prostatectomies.  In the short time that robot-assisted radical prostatectomies have been performed, many significant benefits have evoloved for both the patient and surgeon.  For the full article, visit  http://europeanurology.com/article/S0302-2838(11)01411-4/fulltext#section-3-results.

Summary:
Open radical prostatectomies used to be more common than robot-assisted prostatectomies.  This study compares open vs. robot assisted prostatectomies, and shows that robot-assisted radical prostatectomies are now more common and are more succesful than open radical prostatectomies.

This study was based on data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from October 2009-December 2009.  In that time, 11,889 patients had robot-assisted radical prostatectomies and 7,389 patients had open prostatectomies.  This study is based on nationwide data.  Prior comparative studies only compared data within one institution or with one surgeon.  More robot-assisted surgeries were conducted at urban teaching institutions, and most of them were at high-volume hospitals. 

Robot-assisted surgeries were also found to be less likely to:
-Need a blood transfusion
-Have a prolonged hospital stay
-Suffer complications during or after surgery (such as cardiac, respiratory or vascular issues)

This study was led by the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  Henry Ford Hospital is a Vattikuti Foundation Network Hopsital.  Dr. Mani Menon started the robotic surgery program at the Vattikuti Urology Institute in 2000.  He and his team have performed over 7,000 robotic surgeries to date and have published many papers on robotic surgery.

MBBS course may soon become of 6-year duration

Ghulam Nabi Azad, union health minister, recommended that the MBBS program be extended by one year.  However, many doctors in the Indian Medical Association (IMA) disagree with this recommendation.

The change would include a reducing the MBBS internship by 6 months and add a 1 year rural post.


What do you think?

Vattikuti Foundation Partner Uses Surgical Robot to Help African Child

Ashura Ibrahim, a 7-year-old girl from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania had been injured about two years ago in an accident on the road near her home.  Her bladder had been damaged and her only medical option there left her with a tube to drain her urine. Not only was this an embarrassing and difficult thing for a young girl to live with, it was also a health risk.

One year ago, the medical team at Apollo Hospital, Chennai took on the challenge. Pediatric Urologists examined her and Dr. V. Sripathi devised a surgery that used a flap of muscle from her bladder, which was transformed into a tube as a substitute for the urethra.  The drain tube was gone, and she returned home a happy girl.

Recently, Ashura was brought back for a routine checkup.  She was found to have a complication that caused urine to reverse flow back into her kidney.  Her condition was a concern because serious infection and renal damage could result.  More surgery was needed. Because he did not want to do a procedure that would again leave her with the dreaded tube to drain urine, Dr. Sripathi decided to use the daVinci robot to perform a “complex redo on the bladder base”.

The three-and-a half hour procedure was unique.  Dr. Sripathi called it a “first”.    He added, “Robotic surgery enabled us to achieve a perfect result in a very difficult situation with very minimal morbidity, with no pain and helped achieve (patient) discharge within a day.”
Ashura, according to media reports, is again completely happy and living a normal life, back home in Tanzania with her parents.  She will return next year for a follow-up visit.
A very satisfied Dr. Sripathi claims, “Robotic surgery will revolutionize the practice of surgery in children, especially in such complex situations, without resulting to large incisions and prolonged hospitalization.”

Dr. Mahendra Bhandari, C E O of the Vattikuti Foundation said,  “We are very pleased that the Foundation-facilitated establishment of a high powered robotic surgical program was used to help change the life of Ashura, a girl so much in need, so far from her home.  When used in the right hands, the surgical robot truly is a world-changing tool.”

Reports from The Hindu, The Times of India, Apollo Hospitals and the Vattikuti Foundation contributed to this article.   D. Meinhard

Raj Vattikuti - From the Heart

During an impromptu speech following dinner at the VGR 2012 Global Robotics conference, Raj Vattikuti, founder of the Vattikuti Foundation, shares his feelings about healthcare, technology, helping the poor and more.

Vattikuti Global Robotics

This event was the first of its kind in India and was held 13-15 January 2012. The focus was on robotic surgery, highlighting the current status and future of robotic surgery in Urology, Gynecology, Cardiovascular Surgery, ENT and General Surgery. Courses were offered in how to establish a cost-effective robotic surgical program in a hospital and operating theatre management. Live robotic surgery demonstrations were shown by the best in the world to educate and expose surgeons to the best practices and new techniques as well as outcomes for their patients.