Surgeons from Dundee and the USA perform the world’s first stroke operation using a robot

Doctors from Scotland and the US have carried out what is believed to be the world’s first stroke procedure using a robot.

Prof Iris Grunwald from the University of Dundee performed remote thrombectomy – the removal of blood clots following a stroke – on a human corpse that had been donated to medical science.

The professor was at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while the body she operated on with the machine was at a university facility.

Hours later, Ricardo Hanel – a neurosurgeon in Florida – used the technology to perform the first transatlantic operation on a human body from his base in Jacksonville in Dundee, more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away.

The team has called it a potential “game changer” if it is approved for use in patients.

Doctors believe this technology could transform stroke treatment, as delays in access to specialist care can have a direct impact on the chances of recovery.

Prof. Grunwald said: “It felt like we were getting our first glimpse of the future.”

“While this was previously thought to be science fiction, we have shown that every step of the process can already be carried out.”

The University of Dundee is the global training center of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment and the only place in the UK where doctors can operate on cadavers using a fluid that mimics human blood circulating in the vessels.

“This was the first time that we were able to perform the entire mechanical thrombectomy procedure in a real human body, demonstrating that all steps of the procedure are possible,” said Prof. Grunwald.

Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association charity, told BBC News the transatlantic process was “a remarkable innovation”.

She added: “For far too long, people living in remote and rural areas have been denied access to thrombectomy.”

“Robots like this could address the inequality that exists in stroke care across the UK.”

In the experiment, a liquid that mimics human blood was used in four different cadavers.

The subjects who donated their bodies to science died within the last three years and were subsequently embalmed.

Both the Dundee and Florida surgeries were carried out last month using robots from Lithuanian company Sentante.

Although distant thrombectomies have already been carried out in the past, e.g Silicone modelA 3D printed replica And on an animalIt is believed that this was the first operation on a human body.

The team now hopes to take part in clinical trials next year.

An ischemic stroke occurs if an artery is blocked by a blood clot.

As a result, the blood and oxygen supply to the brain is interrupted, brain cells lose their function and die.

The best treatment is a thrombectomy, in which a specialist removes the clot using catheters and wires.

But what happens when a patient can’t find a specialist who can perform the procedure?

Prof Grunwald said the experiment showed a robot could be connected to the same catheters and wires a surgeon would normally use, and a paramedic who was with the patient could simply attach the wires.

The surgeon could then hold and move his own wires at a different location, and the robot would then perform the exact same movements on the patient in real time to perform the thrombectomy.

The patient would be in a hospital operating room, while the doctor could perform the procedure using the Sentante device from anywhere – even home.

Prof Grunwald and Ricardo Hanel were able to see live X-rays of the body in the experiments and monitor progress in real time, with the Dundee expert saying the training took just 20 minutes.

Tech giants Nvidia and Ericsson were involved in the project to ensure the robot’s connectivity.

Dr. Hanel said: “Flying from the US to Scotland with a delay of 120 milliseconds – the blink of an eye – is truly remarkable.”

Prof Grunwald, who won an Innovate UK award for her work and is also vice-president of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, said there were two main problems with a standard thrombectomy: a global shortage of doctors who can carry it out, and the treatment depends on your location.

There are only three locations in Scotland where patients can receive the procedure: Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you don’t live there, you have to travel.

Prof. Grunwald said: “The treatment is very time-critical.

“Every six-minute delay reduces the chance of a good result by 1%.”

“This technology would now offer a new option where you are not dependent on where you live – saving the precious minutes in which your brain would otherwise die.”

Public Health Scotland said There were 9,625 ischemic strokes in Scotland last year.

Only 212 – or 2.2% of all patients – received a thrombectomy, while 1,045 people received medication to burst the blood clots.

For the rest of the UK: only 3.9% of all stroke patients received a thrombectomy in the year ending March 2024.

“It feels great,” added Sentante CEO Edvardas Satkauskas, speaking to BBC News from the company’s headquarters in Lithuania.

“Sometimes the future is much closer than we think.”