Singapore and Japan’s clinician-scientists are embarking on a ground-breaking telesurgery trial spanning more than 5,000 kilometres.
In an amalgamation of cutting-edge technology and medical expertise, clinician-scientists from the two countries collaborated in a robotic telesurgery trial aided by advanced surgical robots and network telecommunication technology.
NUS Medicine and NUH partnered with Fujita Health University (FHU) for Singapore and Japan's first robotic telesurgery trial.
In an operating room in Nagoya, Japan, robotic arms executed a complex laparoscopic surgical procedure, manoeuvred by surgeons located more than 5,000km away in the Advanced Surgery Training Centre at Singapore’s National University Hospital (NUH), the teaching hospital of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine).
Utilising Japan’s first surgical robot, clinician-scientists from NUH and NUS Medicine remotely performed a gastrectomy from Singapore.
The movements were replicated by a robotic operation unit located in Japan through a dedicated international fibre-optic network, all performed on a simulated organ.
This collaboration follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in August 2023 between NUS Medicine and FHU, one of Japan’s leading universities with a strong research focus in robotic surgery and telesurgery.
The MOU aims to strengthen academic partnerships through active collaborations, including executing remote surgical experiments and student exchange programmes.
Harnessing the potential of telesurgery, the two gastric surgeons leading the demonstration in Singapore were Professor Jimmy So from the Department of Surgery, NUS Medicine, and Senior Consultant in the Department of Surgery, NUH, as well as Assistant Professor Kim Guowei from the Department of Surgery, NUS Medicine, and Consultant in the Department of Surgery at NUH.
In Japan, the surgical team was led by Professor Ichiro Uyama and Professor Koichi Suda from Fujita Health University.
Drawing upon FHU’s extensive expertise in robotic surgery, this latest project was designed to assess and address the potential challenges of such remote surgeries.
The preclinical trial, which included a series of complex gastrectomy procedures conducted by both teams, aimed to demonstrate that long-distance robotic telesurgery for technically demanding procedures can be safely performed using a robotic system connected by high-speed fibre-optic communication.
While robotic surgery is not a novelty in Singapore, this collaboration marks a significant stride toward making remote surgeries a viable option for patients in the near future.
Professor Jimmy So, who led the surgical team in Singapore, said: ‘Remote telesurgery offers immense potential to enhance global access to specialised care, reduce travel and wait times for patients, minimise health risks during emergencies and pandemics, and foster training and collaboration among medical professionals worldwide. It also improves surgical expertise for complex cases, particularly benefiting underserved areas.’
During public health crises, such as a global pandemic, remote telesurgery helps minimise the risk of disease transmission between patients, healthcare workers and surgical teams.
It also facilitates tele-mentoring or distance learning in medical education, allowing young doctors and medical students to learn surgical techniques and skills from lecturers and medical experts based not only in a different part of Singapore but anywhere in the world.
Assistant Professor Kim Guowei added: ‘In partnering with our Japanese colleagues, we hope to advance and unlock the potential of telesurgery for patients and doctors alike. This continuous exchange of knowledge, advanced surgical techniques, and best practices across borders contributes to improving surgical expertise and outcomes.’
