Dundee and US surgeons use a robot to perform world first stroke surgery

Doctors from the University of Dundee and Florida have used a robot to perform a remote thrombectomy on a human cadaver.  

Professor Iris Grunwald, from the University of Dundee, performed the surgery – where blood clots are removed after a stroke – on a human cadaver via a complex system of wires and computing power.  

The procedure has already been performed on 3D printed models and animals, but it is thought that this is the first time that the procedure has been done on a human body.  

Grunwald performed the surgery from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, despite the body being operated on being located across the city at the University of Dundee campus.  

"It felt as if we were witnessing the first glimpse of the future," Grunwald said to the BBC. "Where previously this was thought to be science fiction, we demonstrated that every step of the procedure can already be done."

Hours after this surgery was completed, neurosurgeon Ricardo Hanel used the technology to carry out the first transatlantic surgery from his base in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Hanel operated on a cadaver at a distance of over 4,000 miles, viewing the surgery on a screen where a live X-ray of the body was shown.  

The bodies were donated to science and had human blood circulated through them to accurately replicate the experience of working on a living person.

"To operate from the US to Scotland with a 120-millisecond lag - a blink of an eye - is truly remarkable," Hanel said to the BBC.  

The system works by linking a medical professional to a robot using virtual wires. A robot is equipped with the correct tools for a surgical procedure, with physical wires attached that control its movements. In a separate location, the surgeon is given their own wires which they can move to control the robot and perform the surgery. Unlike joystick-controlled surgical robots, this system delivers authentic force feedback directly to the surgeon's fingertips – recreating the tactile experience of manual surgery.

The technology has been developed to increase access to stroke care for patients who may not live close to a hospital with a specialist surgeon. Both the Dundee and Florida procedures were carried out using robotics developed the Lithuanian firm Sentante.

When an ischaemic stroke occurs, blood and oxygen are cut off from the brain, resulting in permanent brain damage where cells die. The best way to combat this is with a specialist surgeon who can perform a thrombectomy to open the veins and restore blood flow to the brain

In Scotland, the only hospitals where patients can receive this procedure are in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. If a patient lives outside of these areas, they must travel to receive the procedure.  

"The treatment is very time sensitive," Grunwald said. "Every six minutes delay, you have a one per cent less chance of having a good outcome. This technology would now provide a new way where you're not depending on where you live - saving the valuable minutes where your brain is otherwise dying."

According to Public Heath Scotland, nearly 9,700 people had an ischaemic stroke in 2024, with only 212 patients receiving a thrombectomy. Over 1,000 patients did receive a dose of thrombolysis instead, a clot bursting medication that restores blood flow in vessels blocked by clots, but this is not considered as the most effective treatment.