🔗 Share this article

Surgeons from Scotland and the United States have performed what is considered a historic stroke surgery using automated systems.

Prof Iris Grunwald, from a research center, executed the remote thrombectomy - the elimination of blood clots post a brain attack - on a human cadaver that had been provided for research.

The professor was working from a major hospital in the location, while the body she was operating on while using the machine was separately situated at the academic institution.

Later that day, a neurosurgeon from the American state utilized the system to carry out the pioneering long-distance operation from his Jacksonville base on a donated cadaver in Scotland over 6,400km away.

The team has described it as a potential "revolutionary development" if it gains clearance for use on patients.

The medics consider this system could transform cerebral healthcare, as a delay in accessing professional intervention can have a direct impact on the recovery prospects.

"The experience was we were witnessing the first glimpse of the coming era," said the medical expert.

"While in the past this was considered science fiction, we showed that every step of the procedure can already be done."

The University of Dundee is the global training center of the global medical association, and is the exclusive site in the UK where surgeons can treat medical specimens with biological fluid flowing through the arteries to simulate procedures on a living person.

"This was the first time that we could perform the whole mechanical thrombectomy procedure in a real human body to show that each stage of the surgery are feasible," explained the primary researcher.

A charity executive, the chief executive of a health foundation, called the long-distance operation as "an extraordinary advancement".

"For too long, individuals from remote and rural areas have been limited in obtaining to thrombectomy," she stated.

"Robotics like this could address the disparity which occurs in medical intervention across the UK."

How does the technology work?

An blockage stroke happens when an blood vessel is obstructed by a clot.

This cuts off vascular flow to the cerebral tissue, and neurons lose function and deteriorate.

The superior intervention is a surgical extraction, where a specialist uses medical instruments to remove the clot.

But what happens when a individual is unable to reach a specialist who can perform the surgery?

Prof Grunwald stated the trial demonstrated a automated system could be attached to the equivalent surgical tools a surgeon would typically employ, and a medic who is attending the case could readily join the wires.

The expert, in a different place, could then operate and direct their personal instruments, and the robot then performs comparable motions in live timing on the subject to carry out the surgical procedure.

The subject would be in a medical facility, while the specialist could carry out the operation via the technological system from any place - even their private dwelling.

The lead researcher and the American specialist could observe live X-rays of the specimen in the studies, and observe results in live conditions, with the Scottish specialist stating it took just a brief period of preparation.

Technology companies prominent manufacturers were contributed to the project to secure the communication link of the mechanical device.

"To operate from the United States to Scotland with a minimal delay - a blink of an eye - is truly remarkable," commented the neurosurgeon.

Innovations in cerebral healthcare

The medical expert, who has received recognition for her research and is also the senior official of the global healthcare association, explained there were key issues with a standard thrombectomy - a worldwide deficiency of specialists who can perform it, and treatment depends on your location.

In the region, there are only three places people can receive the procedure - Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you aren't located nearby, you must commute.

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

"Each six-minute postponement, you have a one percent reduced probability of having a successful recovery.

"This system would now provide a novel approach where you're independent of where you live - preserving the crucial moments where your brain is otherwise dying."

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