Telesurgery Is Moving from Possibility to Practice

The idea of a surgeon operating on a patient thousands of miles away may once have seemed futuristic. But recent advances in robotics and connectivity are bringing telesurgery closer to clinical reality and raising important questions about how it can be implemented safely.

During this morning’s Panel Session, “Telesurgery: The Next Frontier Is Here” (PS324), at 9:45 am, experts will examine the rapidly evolving field and what surgeons need to know as telesurgery moves beyond carefully controlled demonstrations toward broader use.

The session comes on the heels of a significant milestone. In June 2025, a historic transcontinental robotic telesurgery trial began, connecting Florida and Angola across nearly 7,000 miles. As part of the trial, 12 robotic procedures were performed remotely, including a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy on a 67-year-old patient in Luanda, Angola. Surgeons operated the robotic system from a console in Florida, with an assisting surgical team at the patient’s side in Angola and contingency plans in place for network or telecommunications failures. The procedures were conducted under a US Food and Drug Administration Investigational Device Exemption, along with local institutional and hospital reviews.

According to session moderator Jay A. Redan, MD, FACS, from AdventHealth in Celebration, Florida, the cases helped demonstrate the feasibility of operating safely across vast distances and provided valuable lessons about connectivity, patient privacy, consent, training, and the capabilities required of the team at the patient’s location.

“This project proved feasibility,” Dr. Redan said, adding that the multiyear effort helped answer questions related to “connectivity, legal, HIPAA compliance, remote training, consent issues, teaching issues, and local personnel.”

Technology and Need Are Driving Telesurgery Forward

Technological advances are one reason telesurgery has reached a pivotal moment, he explained. Robotic systems increasingly include capabilities for remote mentoring, and improvements in telecommunications infrastructure are making reliable connections across long distances more achievable.

At the same time, Dr. Redan sees a growing need to find new ways to extend medical expertise to areas where specialists may not be readily available.

“With the use of telesurgery, not only for surgical specialties but for neurosurgery, cardiology, GI, interventional radiology, and others, we must use our technology to provide care for our patients around the world,” he said.

Safety Requires Preparation

The potential is significant, but so are the challenges.

Among the issues the panel will examine are regulation, credentialing and licensure, patient consent, cybersecurity, reimbursement, equipment requirements, and the skills needed by the remote surgeon and the team caring for the patient onsite.

Patient safety will be central to the discussion, particularly when technology or connectivity fails during a procedure. For Dr. Redan, the key is planning for failure rather than simply hoping it will not happen.

“Preparation, preparation, and preparation,” he said. “The question should not be ‘What if?’ but ‘What would I do when the power goes out or equipment fails?’”

Simulation and rehearsals can help teams anticipate those scenarios and establish clear contingency plans before a procedure begins. Building confidence between the remote surgeon and the onsite team also will be critical as the technology evolves, Dr. Redan said.

“Almost all robotic systems are now being built with telementoring capabilities,” he said. “As the infrastructure of telesurgery continues to improve, hopefully the comfort level of the people will improve as well. This is certainly a cultural change.”

Remote Expertise Could Expand Access

One of the technology’s greatest promises is its potential to extend specialized care and expertise to rural, remote, and resource-limited communities. Dr. Redan pointed to the ACS Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery (ACS H.O.P.E.) and the “Project 6” telementoring initiative from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) as examples of efforts that can help demonstrate how remote expertise might expand access.

Even surgeons who do not expect to perform a procedure remotely in the near future should understand where the field is headed, he said.

Dr. Redan encouraged surgeons and other healthcare professionals to begin considering the infrastructure, education, simulation, and team preparation that telesurgery will require. Checklists and other resources already have been developed through organizations including the ACS, SAGES, and the Society of Robotic Surgery.

“I am 100% certain this will be the way we deliver healthcare to a large portion of the world in the very near future,” Dr. Redan said.

The 90-minute session will be co-moderated by Christopher M. Schlachta, MD, FACS, from the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada.