A unique medical and technical achievement has been accomplished, as a Kuwaiti surgeon performed remote surgery on a Brazilian patient. The surgeon used robotic systems connected to a highly reliable communications network, setting a world record for the longest distance over which remote robotic surgery has been performed.
Operating rooms were linked between “Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital” in Kuwait and “Cruz Vermelha” in Brazil, a distance of 12,034.92 kilometers (7,456 miles). This connection was made with amazing synchronization, making the two continents work as one unit.
The geographical distance was not the only remarkable thing about this achievement, but the time accuracy was also a crucial factor.
The operations were carried out with an average response time of 199 milliseconds, with a bandwidth of 80 megabits per second, and a packet loss rate not exceeding 0.19%. These figures allowed surgeons to work without noticeable delay, according to a report published by “interestingengineering” and reviewed by “Al Arabiya Business”.
The experiment was not limited to one direction, but two complete operations were performed: surgeons in Kuwait performed an operation on a patient in Brazil, and then surgeons in Brazil performed a similar operation on a patient in Kuwait, proving for the first time the possibility of conducting large-scale bi-directional international robotic surgery.
Both operations were laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (“TAPP”), using advanced robotic surgical platforms and supported by partners in the communications and medical technology sectors.
A group of distinguished doctors participated in the operations, including: Dr. Suleiman Al-Mazidi, Dr. Marcelo Loureiro, Dr. Muhannad Al-Haddad, Dr. Ahmed Karim, Dr. Hamoud Al-Rashidi, and Dr. Leandro Totti Cavazzola.
The surgeries were completely successful, without any complications.
Behind the scenes, a dedicated international transmission network was designed to connect Kuwait, Marseille and Sao Paulo, with multiple backup routes to ensure continuous and uninterrupted connectivity during surgery. This illustrates how networks have become a vital element no less important than the surgical instruments themselves.
Sohail Qadir, CEO of “Zain Omantel International”, said that this achievement proves the ability of modern communication networks to support health applications that require an immediate response, where fractions of a second can make the difference between success and failure.
Record certification certificates were presented at a press conference held at the “Zain Kuwait” headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, medical teams, and technology partners, to officially register this achievement in the Guinness World Records.
