February 11 marked a milestone in medical history as resident of Gibraltar, Paul Buxton became the first patient to successfully complete robotic surgery. The lead surgeon, Professor Prokar Dasgupta, conducted the surgery from London, an astounding 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) distance. This groundbreaking procedure, which made use of the Toumai Robotic System, is now being hailed as a remarkable step forward in the field of telesurgery.
Buxton’s long road to this historic surgery started with a shocking diagnosis of prostate cancer declared just after Christmas. A transport company owner who grew up in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, he came to live in Gibraltar 40 years ago. Thanks to the pioneering telesurgery alternative, Buxton did not have to make the long journey to London. Most importantly, he avoided a serious NHS waiting list, which would have forced him to spend as long as three weeks away from home.
The surgical procedure also capitalized on a remarkable connection. This connected the console in London to the robotic system in Gibraltar using fibre-optic cables, with a 5G network connection as backup. A local organizing team in Gibraltar were on call to help troubleshoot any live-streaming hangups or connectivity breaks. Luckily, the remote connection remained – несмотря на непогоду!
After the surgery, Buxton reported being happy with the care he received, saying he’d been “really well looked after” and felt “fantastic.” He noted the importance of being part of such a potentially historic medical event, dubbing it a “no-brainer.”
“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’.” – Paul Buxton
Professor Dasgupta applauded the possible humanitarian impacts of this technology. He made clear his own enthusiasm for this breakthrough and what it foretells for surgeries to come.
“I think it is very, very exciting, the humanitarian benefit is going to be significant.” – Professor Prokar Dasgupta
March 14, Dasgupta is preparing for another similar procedure. The UROchange session will be live-streamed to an expected 20,000 urological surgeons, attending the European Association of Urology congress. Attendees of this event will not only experience how telesurgery is redefining the future of patient care, but how it is becoming more essential in today’s medicine.