Hyderabad infant undergoes India’s youngest telesurgery, performed remotely from Gurugram

A 16-month-old infant in Hyderabad became the youngest patient globally to undergo telesurgery, performed remotely by Dr. V Chandramohan from Gurugram using the indigenous SSI Mantra robot. Enabled by 5G technology, the hour-long procedure corrected a congenital kidney blockage.

Hyderabad: Ever heard of a surgery being performed remotely? A 16-month-old infant, admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad, underwent a robotic surgery with the specialist who performed the surgery, being 1,600 km away in Gurugram.

Managing Director and Chief Urologist of Hyderabad-based Preeti Kidney Hospital, Dr. V Chandramohan performed the surgery remotely on the infant through the indigenous SSI Mantra robot, while staying in Gurugram.

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“The infant was born with a congenital kidney condition in which the renal pelvis, which connects the ureter, was blocked. As a result, urine could not flow from the kidney to the bladder. The infant was admitted to Preeti Kidney Hospital, Kondapur, while I sat at the console in Gurugram at SSI Mantra office, and performed the surgery remotely,” Dr Chandramohan said.

Enabled by 5G technology and robotic systems, it took the surgeon just an hour to complete the surgery.

“Earlier, a similar telesurgery had been reported in China for an 8-year-old. This makes our case the world’s youngest telesurgery ever performed on a 16-month-old child, who was discharged the very next day,” Dr. Chandramohan added.

In another case, a woman in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, suffered from urinary leakage after a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). She reached out to Preeti Hospital, and through 5G connectivity and the SSI Mantra robotic system, Dr. Chandramohan performed the surgery remotely. The operation lasted an hour and 20 minutes, marking the first-ever cross-state telesurgery of its kind, according to a press release.