TCT 2025 | Robot-Assisted PCI Enters a New Era: Results of the PANVIS STAR Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

SHANGHAI, Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 37th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT2025) symposium was held grandly in San Francisco, USA, attracting widespread attention from the global cardiovascular community. On the morning of October 28th (local time), during the "Innovation Session: Robotics and AI-Enhanced Interventions," Dr. Wang Rui, representing the team of Academician Ge Junbo from Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, presented to the world for the first time the safety and efficacy data from the multicenter randomized controlled trial of China's independently developed PANVIS STAR Vascular Interventional Surgery Control System. The results were encouraging ——in the field of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), the introduction of robotic technology is gradually transforming traditional surgical paradigms.

I. Research Background: Why Robot-Assisted PCI? In traditional PCI procedures, vascular interventional physicians must wear heavy lead aprons and operate for extended periods under X-ray , facing multiple occupational risks such as an increased incidence of orthopedic and ophthalmic diseases. With the advancement of precision medicine and telemedicine, robot-assisted PCI has become a key pathway to address these challenges. However, most current interventional robots rely on joystick control, making it difficult to simulate physicians' techniques and operating habits. Additionally, limited compatible instruments restrict their widespread clinical adoption. The emergence of the PANVIS STAR system aims to break through this bottleneck.

II. PANVIS STAR System: Design Innovations and Functional Highlights Independently developed by Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Biomedical Robot Co., Ltd. (abrobo) , the PANVIS STAR system boasts the following outstanding features: • Equipped with a globally unique PANVIS COF (Catheter On Finger) intuitive operating system: The controller mimics manual operation, aligning better with physicians' traditional operating habits and reducing the learning curve.

• Separate sterile cassette design: Supports operation of dual guidewires, dual rapid-exchange devices, and microcatheters, enhancing procedural flexibility.

• Multiple control motion modes: Improves the system's flexibility and adaptability, suitable for different vascular environments and various operators' surgical habits.

• Ultra-long travel design: Supports the entire procedural workflow after catheter sheath insertion, possessing pan-vascular compatibility.

• 5G remote operation support: Lays the foundation for performing long-distance remote PCI.

III. CAPTAIN-C Study Design: A Rigorous Multicenter RCT This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, led by Principal Investigator Academician Ge Junbo, aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PANVIS STAR in PCI.

Inclusion criteria: Obstructive coronary artery disease, coronary artery stenosis ≥50%, with clinical indication for a single PCI procedure.

Exclusion criteria: Included recent stroke, acute MI within 48 hours, severe comorbidities, and complex coronary anatomy, among others.

The primary endpoint was clinical procedural success, defined as: final TIMI flow grade 3; residual stenosis