Paul Buxton, a 62-year-old transport company owner originally from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, became the first patient in the UK to undergo remote telesurgery on February 11. That world-changing procedure went down 1,500 miles away in Gibraltar, where Buxton has lived for the last four decades. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer right after Christmas. As a result, he has been on the leading edge of this exciting new area of surgery.
After his diagnosis Buxton expected to be added to the NHS waiting list for treatment. When the opportunity arose for him to take part in a remote telesurgery trial, he jumped at the chance. He said he “couldn’t pass up the opportunity” to be among the first pioneers of this new medical frontier.
The operation was conducted by Professor Prokar Dasgupta, a renowned robotic urological surgeon, with Toumai Robotic System. Without ever laying eyes on a patient, he performed the first-ever tele-surgery. Even with such physical separation, during the operation, Professor Dasgupta reported it felt “almost as if I was there.”
In the days after the surgery, Buxton said he was being “well looked after” and was “feeling fantastic.” His successful experience is a testament to how remote telesurgery can truly transform patient care. That’s particularly important for patients who are waiting the longest for care to begin.
Professor Dasgupta and his team were on standby in Gibraltar through the whole operation. They were not only willing, but really ready to address any connectivity challenges that arose. Luckily, the link hold solid all of the way through the whole process. This enabled Buxton to undergo his treatment without needing to take the long trip to London.
Reflecting on his decision to opt for telesurgery, Buxton remarked, “If I hadn’t gone for the telesurgery in Gibraltar, then I would have had to have flown to London. I would have had to go on the NHS waiting list, get the procedure done and I would have probably been in London for three weeks. So I thought: ‘This is a no-brainer.’”
This groundbreaking procedure is a major step in the development of new surgical techniques. It gives heart for what might be done more broadly in remote healthcare applications. Professor Dasgupta emphasized the broader implications of this innovation, stating, “I think it is very, very exciting, the humanitarian benefit is going to be significant.”
On March 14, Professor Dasgupta will do another remote telesurgery. This event will be featured via live-stream to an estimated 20,000 of the world’s leading urological surgeons. This event will continue to demonstrate the power of remote surgical technology and its ability to positively impact patient outcomes around the globe.