In a groundbreaking medical achievement, Professor Prokar Dasgupta successfully performed a prostate removal operation on Paul Buxton from a distance of 1,500 miles. The surgery was performed on February 11, as a first-in-human clinical trial using groundbreaking robotic technology. This groundbreaking procedure, performed through the Toumai Robotic System, is a historic step towards further expanding surgical capabilities with the use of robotic surgery.
During the 7-hour surgery, Professor Dasgupta, one of London’s leading robotic urological surgeons, deftly maneuvered from his console. At the same time, the robotic system performed that surgery in Gibraltar. The new fibre-optic cables cemented the relationship with the beautiful rock of Gibraltar. To add a level of reliability, a secondary 5G link was incorporated as a fail-safe. An operations team based in Gibraltar was on standby 24 hours a day, during the entire operation, to respond to any unforeseen connectivity problems.
Buxton, who hails from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, has lived in Gibraltar for 40 years. He received a devastating diagnosis of prostate cancer soon after Christmas. He learned that he would need to be added to a waiting list for the NHS. He jumped at the chance to be in this test. He viewed it as an opportunity to get treatment that was timely and on the cutting edge.
After the successful operation, Buxton took to social media to share how happy he was with the public care he received. He explained that he was “really well cared for” and felt “wonderful” right after the transplant. He’s first-hand experience in the positive innovation of performing surgeries remotely that would provide better outcomes and shorter wait times for his patients.
Professor Dasgupta gave us his expert opinion on why this is a major breakthrough in medical technology. He commented, “I think it is very, very exciting. The humanitarian benefit is going to be significant.” He is scheduled to perform another remote surgery on March 14th. This world first procedure will be streamed live to over 20,000 of the world’s leading urological surgeons at the European Association of Urology congress.
The next procedure will be the second test case after Buxton’s surgery. The first test case was a 52-year-old man who had surgery on March 4 in Gibraltar. If these trials continue to progress, they may set a precedent for a wider adoption of remote surgeries. This would enable specialists to perform complex surgeries remotely.