A Danish surgeon in Aabenraa has operated on a patient lying more than 1,200 kilometers away in Tórshavn, in what is described as the first remote operation between two public hospitals in the Nordic region.
DR reports that the procedure was carried out on Wednesday at Sygehus Sønderjylland in Aabenraa. The patient was treated for an inguinal hernia while lying on an operating table at a hospital in Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands.
Senior consultant and surgeon Jan Krzak controlled the operation from Aabenraa using a robot made up of a screen, two joysticks and several pedals. According to DR, he spent 50 minutes at the console and called the outcome a highly satisfactory result.
Krzak told DR that he was more cautious than usual, because the patient was not next to him but 1,209 kilometers away. As reported by DR, a senior consultant stood ready in the Faroe Islands throughout the operation to take over if anything went wrong.
First step in a clinical study
The operation is the first step in a clinical study, which will examine whether the method can be carried out safely and stably in practice. Per Helligsø, chief physician at the surgical department at Sygehus Sønderjylland, said the result shows that the approach is technically possible.
Helligsø said he believes the method can help create more equality within the Danish Realm. As it stands, patients from Greenland, the Faroe Islands or remote parts of Denmark often have to travel to a hospital that has the necessary skills for a given operation.
With a remote operation, the patient does not need to leave familiar surroundings, because the expertise can be moved to the patient through the robot, Helligsø said. Inguinal hernia surgery itself is routine in Denmark, where around 10,000 such operations are performed each year, according to DR.
Krzak has operated with the robot for more than five years, but Wednesday was the first time he used it on a patient at another hospital. DR reports that all those involved gathered in front of the video link to Tórshavn after the procedure.
Krzak said he sees the operation as only the beginning. He told DR that he expects to be able to get out of bed at night within a few years, put on VR goggles and specially made gloves, and perform surgery from home.
DR did not report the patient’s identity or age. The broadcaster published images from the operation with a warning that some viewers may find them disturbing.
