Professor Prokar Dasgupta, one of the world’s most famous robotic urological surgeons, has been hitting the headlines. On April 7th, he was able to successfully remove the prostate of a patient 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) away, in Gibraltar. This innovative procedure took place while Professor Dasgupta was on sabbatical in the UK. It represented another historic moment in the emerging field of telesurgery.
The transaction included the artist Paul Buxton, who operated from Gibraltar during the time of the procedure. It was an impressive display of how to successfully leverage cutting-edge technology. From his console, he connected to the Toumai Robotic System in Gibraltar via fibre-optic cables. As a result, the backup 5G link delivered a third level of security, enabling uninterrupted remote communication and control during the surgery. As Professor Dasgupta described it, it was “virtually, almost as if I was there.” He went on to praise the benefits of remote surgical techniques.
This operation is a success story from one of the two initial test cases in the trial’s test phase. The first of these, with Buxton, was done as a test to see if remote surgery was possible over such long distances. The second procedure planned for March 4, with a as yet unnamed 52-year-old man. Read more about this second procedure, which Professor Dasgupta will be performing again on March 14. Only this time, he’ll be live-streaming it to an audience of 20,000 of the world’s best urological surgeons.
Professor Dasgupta’s work doesn’t exist in a vacuum, as he has joined other UK-based surgeons in achieving significant UK-based telesurgery breakthroughs. Topping that list is the first-ever transatlantic robotic stroke procedure performed on an imported cadaver. This revolutionary episode demonstrates the remarkable capabilities of robotic surgery over such long distances. Passing these test cases with flying colors may help accelerate the introduction of telesurgery techniques on a larger scale. This breakthrough will open up new surgical opportunities for patients everywhere, regardless of geographic location.