Patient of landmark Gibraltar robotic surgery carried out remotely from London feels ‘fantastic’

The patient of a recent landmark robotic surgery performed in Gibraltar has told the UK press he feels ‘fantastic.’

62-year-old Gibraltar resident Paul Buxton, who had to have his prostate removed after being diagnosed with cancer after Christmas, said it was a “no brainer” to be involved, adding he was happy to be the “guinea pig.”

The surgeon, Professor Prokar Dasgupta performed the UK’s first procedure remotely from 2,400 km away in London. He described it as a “historic” moment, adding it went “extremely well”.

Gibraltar’s Health Minister, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, has described the telesurgery as a “milestone”.

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The story of Gibraltar’s ground-breaking robot-assisted surgery performed from London has has caught the attention of the UK press.

The cutting-edge equipment at the Kusuma Robotic Surgery Suite at St Bernard’s Hospital was only introduced recently, and is designed for both conventional robotic procedures and tele-surgery capabilities.

Its first patient, Paul Buxton, originally from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, said he had expected to join the NHS waiting list but jumped at the chance to have telesurgery on the Rock, where he’s lived for 40 years.

He said he felt “fantastic” four days after the surgery, adding: “It’s been a privilege to be part of medical history.”

The surgeon who performed the procedure was Professor Prokar Dasgupta, a professor of urology who heads The London Clinic’s Robotic Centre of Excellence.

He used a console from the Harley Street district to guide the Toumai Robotic System to perform the prostatectomy.

Professor Dasgupta told the press it was almost as though he was “there”, describing it as “unbelievable.”

A full surgical team was present at St Bernard’s Hospital, where local robotic surgeries have already taken place. They were ready to step in should the connection have been interrupted.

The link was via fibre optics with a backup 5G connection, and everything went according to plan, with only a 60 millisecond lag between himself and the robot in Gibraltar.

A second prostatectomy has since been carried out on another local patient.

Professor Dasgupta said the technology means lives, even in remote areas, can be saved without the “vast expense and inconvenience” of travelling.

He is due to repeat the remote procedure with another patient on 14th March, with 20,000 surgeons watching via livestreaming from the European Association of Urology Congress.