October 15, 2007 - InTouch Health recently announced the successful completion of the world’s first surgical procedure where the operating surgeons were trained by a mentoring surgeon located more than 5,400 miles away.
With the help of the RP-7 Remote Presence Robot, Alex Gandsas M.D., Division Head of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Sinai Hospital and Associate Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, guided surgeons in Argentina through a laparoscopic gastric sleeve procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. The surgery followed a three-month training program, during which Dr. Gandsas educated Sergio Cantarelli M.D. and Gabriel Egidi M.D. located in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, entirely through the robot.
The robot, manufactured by InTouch Health, enables a medical specialist to mentor a physician or surgeon at a remote site using a high speed Internet connection. The 5-foot, 5-inch robot, displays the doctor’s face on a 15-inch screen and is guided by a joystick from a computerized ControlStation, emulating an on-site experience. With two-way cameras, microphones and wireless technology, the robot provides high quality, real-time audio and video with complete mobility around the operating room.
For more information: www.intouchhealth.com