A surgeon has remotely operated on a patient in another country using robotic technology.
Dr Vipul Patel carried out the procedure from the comfort of his own office.
The 67-year-old patient, located over 7,000 miles away, was technically operated on by a robot – all under Dr Patel’s control.
READ MORE: AI pilot beats human fighter pilot in air battle
Parts of the patient’s prostate was successfully removed after he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
He was the first person to undergo the surgery as part of a study which was designed to explore the potential of remote surgical intervention across continents.
It’s the first transcontinental robotic telesurgery under an FDA clinical trial, reports Need To Know.
While robotic-assisted surgeries are not new, they have traditionally required the surgeon to be in the same room as the patient.
Dr Patel’s team, located in Florida, US, had spent two years preparing for this pioneering moment.
A full medical team was on-site in Angola, Africa, with the patient in case there were any complications.
Fortunately, extra precautions weren’t needed, and everything ran smoothly.
The operation has raised hopes for the future of remote medicine, particularly in regions where access to specialised surgical care is limited or non-existent.
Dr Patel, who has been operating on patients for nearly 25 years, now plans to submit the data gathered from the historic procedure to the FDA, with the hope of expanding this technology to benefit more patients in underserved areas.
READ MORE: FLYING £50,000 motorbike that avoids rush hour traffic by swapping from land to air unveiled
