Medical Experts from the Scottish region and America Accomplish World-First Stroke Procedure Using Robotic System
Doctors from Scotland and the United States have successfully completed what is considered a historic stroke surgery utilizing a robot.
The lead surgeon, working at a research center, conducted the remote thrombectomy - the extraction of blood clots following a cerebral event - on a human cadaver that had been donated to medical science.
The expert was positioned in a medical facility in the location, while the body she was operating on with the machine was across the city at the academic institution.
Later that day, a medical specialist from the US location utilized the system to carry out the first transatlantic surgery from his Florida location on a donated cadaver in Dundee over 6,400km away.
The medical group has described it as a potential "game changer" if it gains clearance for use on patients.
The doctors consider this technology could revolutionize stroke treatment, as a delay in accessing professional intervention can have a major influence on the chances of recovery.
"It felt as if we were observing the early preview of the next generation," said the lead researcher.
"Where previously this was considered theoretical concept, we proved that each phase of the operation can now be performed."
The Scottish institution is the international education hub of the international stroke organization, and is the only place in the United Kingdom where doctors can work with donated bodies with human blood circulated in the arteries to simulate procedures on a living person.
"This was the first time that we could conduct the whole mechanical thrombectomy procedure in a genuine medical subject to prove that each stage of the procedure are possible," explained the primary researcher.
A charity executive, the chief executive of a medical organization, called the intercontinental surgery as "an extraordinary advancement".
"During many years, residents of remote and rural areas have been denied availability to clot removal," she added.
"Robotics like this could correct the imbalance which exists in brain care nationwide."
How does the system function?
An brain attack happens when an blood vessel is obstructed by a blockage.
This cuts off vascular flow to the neural matter, and neurons stop functioning and expire.
The best treatment is a surgical extraction, where a surgeon uses surgical tools to remove the clot.
But what happens when a person is unable to reach a specialist who can do the procedure?
The lead researcher said the trial demonstrated a automated system could be connected to the same catheters and wires a doctor would typically employ, and a medic who is present with the individual could easily connect the wires.
The surgeon, in another location, could then operate and direct their personal instruments, and the mechanical device then carries out precisely identical actions in real time on the subject to conduct the surgical procedure.
The individual would be in a medical facility, while the surgeon could conduct the surgery with the technological system from anywhere - even their private dwelling.
The lead researcher and the neurosurgeon could observe real-time imaging of the specimen in the experiments, and monitor progress in real time, with the lead researcher explaining it took only 20 minutes of training.
Tech giants leading tech firms were contributed to the initiative to ensure the connectivity of the robot.
"To conduct procedures from the America to Britain with a 120 millisecond lag - an instant - is absolutely amazing," said the neurosurgeon.
The future of stroke treatment
Prof Grunwald, who has won an award for her research and is also the vice president of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, stated there were key issues with a conventional clot removal - a global shortage of specialists who can conduct it, and treatment depends on your physical place.
In Scotland, there are merely three sites people can receive the procedure - urban centers. If you reside elsewhere, you must commute.
"The procedure is extremely time-critical," explained the medical expert.
"Every six minutes delay, you have a one percent reduced probability of having a positive result.
"This innovation would now deliver a novel approach where you're independent of where you live - saving the crucial moments where your neural tissue is degenerating."
Public health data indicated there were {9,625 ischaemic strokes|numerous cerebral events|