Surgeons in Shanghai remotely operated on two patients in Mumbai from 5,000km away in what the medical facility claimed was India's first-ever international remote robotic surgeries.
The procedures were led by Dr T B Yuvaraja, director of Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery, who has a track record of more than 4,100 robotic surgeries.
The surgeries, a radical prostatectomy and a partial nephrectomy, were conducted using the Toumai Remote Robotic Surgery System on patients admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) in Mumbai's Andheri area, said the multi-speciality healthcare centre.
The platform is the only robotic system currently approved by the US FDA for telesurgery. It has been cleared by India's CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation), an agency under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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.
After completing the surgeries from Shanghai, Dr Yuvaraja said: ‘Remote robotic surgery has the potential to transform access to high-quality surgical care. Successfully performing these procedures across two large nations opens 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 in reaching patients in remote or underserved regions, the hospital said.
Dr Santosh Shetty, CEO and 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.
