A surgeon in Florida successfully performed a robotic prostatectomy on a patient nearly 7,000 miles away in Angola, Africa. This makes it the longest-distance telesurgery ever completed.
Dr Vipul Patel, founder and medical director of the Global Robotics Institute at AdventHealth Celebration, completed the procedure on June 14 as part of an FDA-approved human clinical trial. It marked the longest-distance telesurgery ever carried out. It used advanced robotic-assisted technology and a secure, high-speed internet connection.
“This first-of-its-kind FDA-approved clinical trial for U.S.-based transcontinental robotic telesurgery is a stunning breakthrough, not just technologically, but in advancing global health equity,” said Dr Patel, according to ABC News.
The patient, Fernando da Silva, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in March. The procedure done was a prostatectomy, a surgical procedure that removes part or all the prostate. It took place in Luanda, Angola’s capital, while Dr Patel operated remotely from the Nicholson Centre in Celebration, Florida, with his surgical team on-site to manage any complications.
According to Advent Health, Angola has one of the highest prostate cancer mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa, with limited access to specialist care. The surgery forms part of a wider initiative by AdventHealth to improve global health access, including the launch of Angola’s first national prostate cancer screening programme.
“It was a small step for a surgeon, but it was a huge leap for health care,” Patel added.