Montana Public Radio recently highlighted Helmsley’s $3 million grant to the Mayo Clinic to test a device that could allow physicians to remotely perform cardiac procedures using robotics and the internet. Patients living in rural areas often have difficulty receiving crucial, time-sensitive medical care due to distance and a lack of nearby medical practitioners. This innovation could potentially overcome these barriers and save the lives of rural cardiac patients. The technology is being developed by Corindus Vascular Robotics.

“It allows endless miles between the operator and the patient,” said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley Trustee. “In theory, someday you could have the patient up in the space station and the physician operator down on Earth. It’s all done via the internet. It’s all done with very little latency. It’s just amazing how far technology has come to allow this to happen.”

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