New Delhi: Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre has created history with its first ever telesurgery in cancer care. It is a milestone that the research institute has achieved in medical history. The open surgery normally takes three hours to complete. However, this telesurgery was performed only under 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

SSI Mantra Robot

The surgery was led by Dr Sudhir Rawal, the director of RGCIRC and Chief of Genital Urinary Oncology. The team included Dr Amitabh Singh and Dr Ashish. They successfully performed a cysto-prostatectomy with Bilateral Lymph Nodes Removal. It was conducted from SSI Office Udyog Vihar, Gurugram, using an Indian Robot called SSI Mantra Robot. 

Telesurgery

What’s remarkable is the fact that the doctors performed the surgery from the office in Gurugram while the patient was at RGCIRC in Rohini Centre, Delhi. The 54-year-old patient suffering from urinary bladder cancer was admitted to RGCIRC. The team handled the technical part of the operation from a different location. The results were outstanding and there were no errors in the telesurgery. 

Achieving a milestone

Dr Rawal shares that telesurgery makes surgical care more accessible to patients living in remote areas. It reduces the medical and travel costs. The patient who received the surgery will be discharged within a week. 

Dr Rawal has conducted numerous robotic surgeries which is the highest number of surgeries performed using advanced technology by any cancer surgeon in India.