Surgeons from Scotland and the United States have performed, with great success, a world first stroke procedure using a robotic system. That historic accomplishment took place in Scotland’s University of Dundee. Here’s how Professor Iris Grunwald achieved the first remotely operated thrombectomy on a human cadaver. The groundbreaking surgery represents a milestone achievement in the rapidly evolving field of neurosurgery, and it promises to change the future of stroke care altogether.
The process using a human cadaver that had been gifted to the cause of medical science. The participants, who died in the last three years, were embalmed to make the process and the experiment easier. In Scotland, only three locations are equipped to perform thrombectomies: Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. The team used realistic, human blood-mimicking fluid in four different cadavers in their experiments.
Dr. Ricardo Hanel, a Florida-based neurosurgeon, became the first-ever physician to perform a transatlantic surgery. He remotely controlled the surgery of a cadaver in Dundee, Scotland, from his home base in Jacksonville. Incredible as it sounds, the entire procedure was performed more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) from the patient’s bedside. The robotic-assisted thrombectomy was performed using technology created by the Lithuanian company Sentante.
Professor Grunwald and Dr. Hanel watched real-time X-ray images of the cadaver during the trial. This arrangement allowed these agencies to track the status of projects instantly. It was just 20 minutes of hands-on training that prepared Professor Grunwald to rock that procedure like a pro. With this new innovation, a physician can now do a thrombectomy with the Sentante machine from almost anywhere in the world. At the same time, the patient remains comfortably at safety in the hospital OR.
The implications of this technology are profound. Today, just 2.2% of all stroke patients are treated with a thrombectomy whereas 1,045 people are treated with medication to dissolve clots. Professor Grunwald emphasized the importance of timely intervention, stating, “Every six minutes delay, you have a 1% less chance of having a good outcome.”
She further elaborated on the potential impact of this technology. “This technology would now provide a new way where you’re not depending on where you live—saving the valuable minutes where your brain is otherwise dying.”
Dr. Hanel, who runs the lab where the robotic system operates, shared her enthusiasm about the robotic system’s capabilities. He remarked, “To operate from the US to Scotland with a 120 millisecond lag—a blink of an eye—is truly remarkable.”
The research team is looking to enter into clinical trials next year. They’re interested to learn more and go further into this innovative new era of stroke care. If this technology is successful, it would help bring the level of expert stroke treatment enjoyed by a few to the many, no matter where they live.
