American surgeon Vipul Patel has performed what is reported to be the first remote prostate removal surgery on a patient with cancer, controlling a robotic system from a hospital located approximately 55 kilometers from the operating room. ABC News reports.
The operation took place in Florida. The 66-year-old patient was at AdventHealth Hospital in Minneola, while Patel worked from AdventHealth Celebration, a medical center in Celebration, near Orlando. Using a robotic telesurgery system, the surgeon remotely controlled the surgical instruments and successfully removed the patient’s prostate gland.
Another qualified surgeon was present with the patient during the procedure. The man’s condition remained stable following the operation.
The procedure was part of a clinical trial approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study aims to assess the safety, effectiveness, and technical capabilities of remote robotic surgery.
According to Patel, the technology could eventually expand access to specialized medical care for people living far from major medical centers.
Earlier in the study, remote robotic surgeries had already been performed between hospitals in Orlando and Luanda, the capital of Angola. The distance between the medical facilities exceeded 11,000 kilometers.
Researchers continue to evaluate the technology’s capabilities. It remains in clinical trials, and its safety and reliability must be confirmed before it can be adopted more widely.
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