🔗 Share this article

Medical professionals from the Scottish region and the United States have successfully completed what is considered a world-first stroke procedure employing a robot.

The lead surgeon, from a research center, performed the long-distance surgery - the removal of vascular blockages following a cerebral event - on a medical specimen that had been donated to medical science.

The professor was positioned in a medical facility in the location, while the body she was operating on with the system was at another location at the research facility.

Subsequently, a neurosurgeon from the American state employed the technology to conduct the first transatlantic surgery from his Jacksonville base on a medical specimen in Dundee over 6,400km away.

The medical group has described it as a potential "revolutionary development" if it becomes approved for medical treatment.

The medics consider this technology could transform stroke treatment, as a limited availability of expert care can have a direct impact on the chances of recovery.

"The experience was we were witnessing the early preview of the coming era," stated the medical expert.

"Where previously this was thought to be science fiction, we demonstrated that all stages of the procedure can currently be accomplished."

The University of Dundee is the international education hub of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, and is the only place in the United Kingdom where doctors can work with cadavers with human blood flowing through the arteries to simulate procedures on a living person.

"This represented the pioneering moment that we could conduct the whole mechanical thrombectomy procedure in a actual human specimen to demonstrate that every phase of the procedure are possible," explained the primary researcher.

A healthcare leader, the director of a stroke charity, labeled the intercontinental surgery as "an extraordinary advancement".

"During many years, people living in remote and rural areas have been deprived of access to thrombectomy," she stated.

"This type of automation could correct the imbalance which exists in medical intervention across the UK."

How does the technology work?

An brain attack takes place when an artery is blocked by a obstruction.

This interrupts circulation and oxygenation to the neural matter, and neurons stop functioning and die.

The superior intervention is a clot removal, where a surgeon uses medical instruments to extract the blockage.

But what transpires when a person is unable to reach a specialist who can perform the surgery?

The medical expert explained the trial showed a automated system could be linked with the identical medical instruments a specialist would normally use, and a medical staff who is present with the individual could simply attach the tools.

The specialist, in a different place, could then operate and direct their own wires, and the robot then performs comparable motions in real time on the individual to perform the thrombectomy.

The patient would be in a hospital operating room, while the specialist could perform the operation using the advanced machine from any location - even their personal residence.

The lead researcher and the American specialist could see live X-rays of the specimen in the studies, and monitor progress in live conditions, with the Scottish specialist explaining it took only 20 minutes of preparation.

Technology companies prominent manufacturers were participated in the research to guarantee the communication link of the robot.

"To conduct procedures from the America to Britain with a minimal delay - a blink of an eye - is genuinely extraordinary," stated Dr Hanel.

Advancements in brain care

The medical expert, who has received recognition for her contributions and is also the senior official of the global healthcare association, explained there were primary challenges with a standard thrombectomy - a global shortage of surgeons who can conduct it, and care is determined by your geographical position.

In Scotland, there are only three places individuals can access the surgery - Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you aren't located nearby, you must commute.

"The procedure is highly dependent on timing," stated Prof Grunwald.

"Every six minutes delay, you have a 1% less chance of having a successful recovery.

"This technology would now deliver a new way where you're not reliant upon where you live - preserving the valuable minutes where your cerebral matter is degenerating."

Healthcare information revealed there were {9,625 ischaemic strokes|numerous cerebral events|