A Look at Remote Surgery (telesurgery), Pros, and Cons

Telesurgery or remote surgery is a promising surgical breakthrough, that faces many challenges.

Telesurgery, remote surgery, or telerobotics is a surgical tool that uses robotic technology and wireless networking to connect patients and surgeons in remote locations.

The main utility of telesurgery is its ability to overcome the limitations of conventional surgery, namely the geographical inaccessibility of rapid and high-quality surgical care, a shortage of surgeons, logistical limitations of surgeon schedules, financial costs, and distance.

Remote surgery benefits both patients and surgeons, providing technical precision and improving the safety of operations.

Since this first telerobotic surgery in 2001, the development of remote surgery has been difficult due to the significant limitations of the network system.

In 2019, telerobotic 5G spine surgery was performed on 12 patients in six hospitals in six different cities in China.

What are the benefits of telesurgery?

Advances in telecommunications and robotic surgery have made telesurgery a promising and feasible option for patients who want treatment without having (or being able) to travel.

Some benefits of telesurgery include:

• Eliminate long-distance travel for patients

• Provide healthcare to underserved areas

• Surgical collaborations between surgeons all over the world

• Improvements in surgical skills

• Reduce the impact of surgeon shortage

What are the disadvantages of telesurgery?

Despite promising advances in surgery and telecommunications, some disadvantages exist, including:

• Internet networks are not developed worldwide, especially 5G

• Legal, ethical issues, and cybersecurity

• Financial problems

• Acquisition of robotic equipment

• Latency time in robotics

What role can virtual reality play in telesurgery?

Proprio allows you to collect deep data in the operating room and share it in real-time, anywhere, and with imperceptible latency.

Assisting surgeons can experience depth perception and immersion as if they were in the operating room next to the chief surgeon.

The absence of latency and the improvement of surgical robots, with a good wireless network, are necessary for successful surgical operations.