Paul Buxton, a 62-year-old cancer patient from Gibraltar, is one of those patients who has now made medical history. He became the first human being to have a prostate removal operation conducted via telesurgery. On February 11, 2023, the first procedure was performed. In early March, Professor Prokar Dasgupta performed it remotely, from a console in the United Kingdom. This new, groundbreaking surgery highlights the surgical advances afforded by technology and the remote access to healthcare it can facilitate.
Paul Buxton, who hails from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, has lived in Gibraltar for the past 40 years. He got a big surprise – a diagnosis of prostate cancer – right after Christmas. For Buxton, it was his special situation that helped him to make the decision to join the telesurgery trial. This decision allowed him to have the procedure done closer to home, skipping long NHS waiting lists and travel to London.
Had I decided against having telesurgery in Gibraltar, I would have been flying to London. Otherwise, rather than an 80-minute outpatient procedure, I would have enjoyed the NHS waiting list and probably still spent three weeks in-patient. So I thought: ‘This is a no-brainer’, Buxton explained. While he wanted definitive answers from the trial’s treatments, what ultimately motivated his decision to join was the ability to quickly access treatment. It also made him a pioneer in a cutting-edge medical collaboration.
The surgery was performed with the very latest Toumai Robotic System. This technology made it possible for Professor Dasgupta to conduct the surgery from Pittsburgh on the robot in Gibraltar, with a secondary 5G line providing additional backup. A focused group of experts in Gibraltar was on hand throughout the process. More importantly, they were prepared to start working immediately to fix any connectivity problems should they come up. Luckily, the link held strong over the entire mission.
Buxton said he couldn’t have been happier with the experience. He added that he was “really well looked after” and felt “fantastic” following his surgery. His successful operation though is only the start. A second patient, an unnamed 52-year-old man, will have a comparable operation on March 4.
The implications of this telesurgery trial go even deeper than just individual patients, such as Buxton. Professor Dasgupta remarked on the broader impact of such advancements: “I think it is very, very exciting. The humanitarian benefit is going to be significant.”
Healthcare is changing even faster with technology. This pioneering surgery in Gibraltar demonstrates the thrilling potential of remote surgical interventions, which could revolutionize patient care and access to surgical services across the world.