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Surgeons Operate From 1,700 Miles Away
29 Jan
Summary
- Telesurgery allows remote operations up to 1,700 miles away.
- Study found remote surgery non-inferior to local procedures.
- Research focused on prostate and kidney tumor removal.
- Robotic systems connected via secure video links enable this.
- Potential for rural and disaster zones highlighted.
Surgeons can now perform common operations from distances of up to 1,700 miles, a new study indicates. This remarkable capability allows for remote procedures using a surgical robot connected via a secure video link, a technique known as telesurgery. Researchers from China conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess if telesurgery could achieve results comparable to locally performed robotic-assisted surgery.
The study focused on prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy, investigating 72 patients. Results demonstrated that telesurgery was not inferior to local surgery in terms of surgical success probability. The telesurgery system proved stable across distances ranging from 621 to 1,740 miles.
This advancement holds significant promise for rural hospitals lacking specialist surgeons and for providing care in disaster or war zones. However, experts urge caution, emphasizing the need for larger studies to confirm these findings and assess long-term outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and patient experience before wider adoption. The full risks and benefits of telesurgery are still under investigation.
