London surgeon saves man’s life from 1,500 miles away in UK first
WHO: Professor Prokar Dasgupta and patient Paul Buxton.
WHAT: A prostate removal operation performed using a remote-controlled robot.
WHERE: The surgeon was in London while the patient was in Gibraltar.
WHEN: 13 March 2026.
WHY: To prove that top-tier surgical care can be delivered to remote locations via high-speed technology.
A pioneer just performed remote robotic surgery in UK first history by operating from over 1,500 miles away.
Imagine lying on an operating table in one country while your surgeon sits in a different time zone. For most of us, that sounds like a sci-fi nightmare, but for Paul Buxton, it was a life-saving reality.
Mr Buxton, who lives in Gibraltar, needed his prostate cancer removed. Instead of flying to London, the expert surgeon stayed in the capital and used a robot to do the work.
Operating with a tiny lag
Professor Prokar Dasgupta sat at a console in The London Clinic to guide the mechanical arms. The robot at the other end was equipped with a 3D camera and three instruments to perform the delicate task.
To keep things safe, the team used high-speed fibre optics to connect the two locations. This created a tiny lag of just 0.06 seconds, making the movements feel instant.
Professor Dasgupta described the milestone by saying: "It felt almost as if I was there." He believes this technology will change lives for people in smaller communities.
Fifteen hundred miles of cable
The signal travelled 1,500 miles between London and St Bernard’s Europort in Gibraltar. This hospital is the only one in the British overseas territory, meaning specialized care is often hard to find.
"This gives us the opportunity to treat patients in remote areas and smaller communities by literally being able to take the best surgeon anywhere," the Professor added. He noted that the humanitarian benefit could be significant.
Becoming part of medical history
For patient Paul Buxton, a transport company owner, the decision to trial the tech was a no brainer. He wanted to give something back to the medical community while getting the best care possible.
Mr Buxton said: "A lot of people actually said to me: 'You’re not going to do it are you?' I thought I’m going to give something back here."
Safety first for the patient
The operation was backed up by a second link just in case the main connection failed. A full clinical team was also standing by in the room in Gibraltar, ready to step in if the robot stopped listening.
This success is expected to break down barriers to treatment across the globe. Professor Dasgupta is already planning to perform the surgery again via livestream for nearly 20,000 other surgeons to watch.
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OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION: This report is based on official data from University Newsroom. Document: King's College London professor performs remote robotic surgery in UK first | King's College London Source Link: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/kings-college-london-professor-performs-remote-robotic-surgery-in-uk-first
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