Distance no deterrence: Surgeon in Shanghai remotely operates on 2 patients at Mumbai hospital

Thane/Mumbai, Dec 30 (PTI) A surgeon stationed in Chinese city of Shanghai operated on two patients at a leading private hospital in Mumbai, over 5,000 km away, in what the medical facility claimed was India's first-ever international remote robotic surgeries.

The surgeries, a radical prostatectomy and a partial nephrectomy, were conducted recently using the Toumai Remote Robotic Surgery System at the patients admitted at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) in Mumbai's Andheri area, said the multispeciality healthcare centre.

This platform is the only robotic system currently carrying US FDA study approval for telesurgery and has been cleared by India's CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation), an agency under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it said.

The success of the surgeries relied on cutting-edge data transmission, achieving an ultra-low bidirectional latency of just 132 milliseconds. This near-instantaneous connection allowed for seamless instrument movement and precise dissection, ensuring the surgeries were as safe and reliable as conventional on-site procedures, according to the hospital.

The procedures were led by Dr T B Yuvaraja, Director of Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery at KDAH, who has a track record of over 4,100 robotic surgeries.

After completing the surgeries from Shanghai, Dr Yuvaraja noted, "Remote robotic surgery has the potential to transform access to high-quality surgical care. Successfully performing these procedures across two large nations open up new avenues for offering world-class treatment across India and the world over." This breakthrough signifies that geographical boundaries no longer limit access to elite surgical expertise. By overcoming the challenges of distance, KDAH has set a new benchmark for "smart surgery," particularly for reaching patients in remote or underserved regions, said the hospital.

Dr Santosh Shetty, CEO & Executive Director of KDAH, said, "This landmark achievement reinforces Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital's leadership in adopting cutting-edge medical technologies. It demonstrates how specialist surgical expertise can be extended across continents without compromising outcomes." The successful outcome was the result of intense collaboration between multidisciplinary clinical teams, technology partners, and engineering experts in both Mumbai and Shanghai, Shetty added. PTI COR RSY