Robot-assisted stroke surgery marks major leap in medicine

In a world-first breakthrough, doctors from Scotland and the United States have successfully performed stroke surgery using a robot, marking a major milestone in medical innovation.

Professor Iris Grunwald from the University of Dundee carried out a remote thrombectomy, a procedure to remove blood clots after a stroke, on a human cadaver in Dundee.

While she operated from Ninewells Hospital, the body was located across the city at the university.

Hours later, Dr Ricardo Hanel, a neurosurgeon in Florida, used the same technology to perform a transatlantic operation on another body in Dundee, more than 6,400km away.

The experiment, powered by Lithuanian robotics firm Sentante, is being hailed as a “game changer” that could revolutionise stroke treatment, especially in areas where patients struggle to access specialists.

The operation, completed on four human cadavers with artificial blood, was supported by tech giants Nvidia and Ericsson to ensure seamless connectivity.

Professor Grunwald described the moment as “a glimpse of the future,” noting that the entire procedure could be done remotely with precision.

She said the innovation could help bridge the gap for patients in rural regions who often miss life-saving treatment due to distance.

A thrombectomy is the best-known treatment for ischaemic strokes, which occur when blood clots block oxygen to the brain.

However, the procedure is highly time-sensitive, every six-minute delay lowers the patient’s recovery chances by 1%. In Scotland, only 2.2% of stroke patients received thrombectomy treatment last year.

The new technology would allow local medics to set up the equipment, while remote specialists guide robotic instruments in real time. With only 20 minutes of training required, doctors could perform surgeries from anywhere in the world.

Dr Hanel called the achievement “truly remarkable,” adding that operating with only a 120-millisecond delay, less than the blink of an eye, shows how close the future of medicine has become.