In a world first, Professor Prokar Dasgupta used augmented reality to help operate on cancer patient Paul Buxton using robotic surgery. He did all this extraordinary work from over 1,500 miles away in the UK. The trailblazing operation took place on Feb. 11, 2023. While Buxton was in Gibraltar, the surgeon performing this procedure was operating remotely from a console in the UK.
During the surgery, the Toumai Robotic System was used. It was fueled by a connection made over fiber-optic wires, with a secondary circuit through a 5G link. A team of specialists stood by in Gibraltar during the entire operation in case any connectivity problem occurred and needed resolving. Thankfully, the connection didn’t falter for a second, allowing Professor Dasgupta to complete the surgery without issue.
This historic operation is one half of a two-test case collaborative effort. The second surgery on March 4th will be performed in Gibraltar on a 52-year-old man whose identity has yet to be released. After participating in the confirmation process, Prof. He experienced as if almost as if I was there during the surgery.
Buxton, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, first thought about making the trip to the UK to receive NHS treatment. He preferred the flexibility that telesurgery offered. “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,” he explained.
Having moved to Gibraltar 40 years ago from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, Buxton owns a transport company and recognized the significance of participating in this innovative medical approach. He called his decision a “no-brainer,” and expressed pride that he would be part of what he now called “part of medical history.”
Gibraltar is served by a single hospital, St Bernard’s at Europort. Consequently, residents are unable to receive advanced forms of medical care and are often forced to travel overseas for treatment. Professor Dasgupta noted that this telesurgery initiative is “pioneering for Gibraltar, because you don’t need to leave Gibraltar,” potentially transforming healthcare access for its residents.
Following the operation, Buxton expressed gratitude for the care he received: “I was really well looked after and feeling fantastic.”
In addition to his recent success, Professor Dasgupta is set to perform another procedure on March 14, which will be live-streamed to an audience of 20,000 leading urological surgeons worldwide.