A Tricky Operation
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Prokar Dasgupta, a surgeon and professor at King’s College London, uses robotics to perform surgery remotely (from far away).
A surgeon in the United Kingdom (U.K.) recently performed an operation on a patient who was 1,500 miles away! It was the first time a U.K. surgeon carried out what’s called a “remote surgery.”
Prokar Dasgupta, a doctor and a professor at King’s College London in the United Kingdom, did the surgery on a patient on the island of Gibraltar, 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) away. Dasgupta used a controller called a console to guide a three-armed robot to do the operation in Gibraltar. The robot’s 3-D camera allowed Dasgupta to see what was happening. There was also a human medical team in the room with the robot to ensure that everything went smoothly.
London is 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) away from Gibraltar, where the patient was located!
Paul Buxton, the patient who had the surgery, said he felt “fantastic” just days later. Buxton said agreeing to the robotic procedure was an easy decision and a chance to become “a part of medical history,” according to King’s College London.
Remote surgery (surgery performed by someone in a different location) is not new, but it is becoming more common. Experts hope that it will help more people get the medical care they need.
Surgeon Prokar Dasgupta watches a screen on which a surgical team in Gibratlar prepares a patient for surgery.
