Robotic urology surgeon, professor Prokar Dasgupta, has made medical history and headlines in the UK for performing the first remote operation. The patient, Paul Buxton, who was located over 1,000 miles away had a prostate tumor removed. The surgery was done at London Clinic’s Robotic Center while the patient was at St Bernard’s Hospital.
The lead surgeon used Toumai Robotic System. It is a four arm robot equipped with 3D HD cameras and a backup 5G link using specialized surgical tools. A team of surgeons remained on standby at the hospital where the patient was located during the procedure in case of any technical issues or complications.
Buxton initially planned to travel to London for the procedure but was offered the opportunity to participate in the telesurgery trial. This would allow him to recover closer to home. Robotic
surgery is expected to be more common in the future. It has been developing over the past few decades while facing potential future hurdles such as cost, infrastructures, surgeons being able to operate across borders, and licensing issues.
