Florida surgeon performs first US telerobotic prostate removal between two hospitals, 35 miles apart
Dr Vipul Patel of AdventHealth operated remotely on a 66-year-old prostate cancer patient 35 miles away in Florida, which AdventHealth says is the first telesurgery between two US sites. It was an investigational procedure under an FDA exemption, not an approval.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2A Florida surgeon removed the prostate of a man with cancer from 35 miles away in what AdventHealth says is the first telerobotic operation between two US locations. The GuardianLC “A Florida surgeon has performed the first telerobotic operation between two US hospitals, removing the prostate of a man with cancer from 35 miles away, according to officials.” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “in a groundbreaking telerobotic surgery that officials are touting as the first of its kind in the US.” Read at New York Post ↗ Left · 1Dr Vipul Patel, founder and medical director of the Global Robotics Institute at AdventHealth Celebration near Orlando, performed the investigational robotic prostatectomy on Sunday on a 66-year-old patient identified as Mark, who had volunteered for a clinical study of a robotic telesurgery system. The GuardianLC “on Sunday performed an investigational robotic prostatectomy on a 66-year-old prostate cancer patient who volunteered for a clinical study evaluating a robotic telesurgery system.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2The patient was at an AdventHealth facility in Minneola while Patel operated from another AdventHealth facility in Celebration. The GuardianLC “The patient, identified as Mark, was at an AdventHealth facility in Minneola, Florida, while Patel operated remotely from another AdventHealth facility in the community of Celebration.” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “carrying out a prostatectomy while 66-year-old patient Mark went under the knife 35 miles away in Minneola” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2Study co-principal investigator and surgeon Marcio Moschovas gave onsite support to the patient during the procedure, according to an AdventHealth news release. AdventHealth told ABC the patient is recovering well. The GuardianLC “Study co-principal investigator and surgeon Marcio Moschovas provided onsite support to Mark during the procedure, an AdventHealth news release said.” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “The patient was monitored by a fellow surgeon while the robotic operation was carried out, AdventHealth said, telling ABC he’s still doing well after the operation.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2The operation was part of a clinical study run under an FDA-approved investigational device exemption, which allows the system to be studied but is not FDA approval or clearance. The GuardianLC “Such an authorization permits the system to be studied but does not constitute FDA approval or clearance.” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “The procedure was carried out thanks to an exemption by the Food and Drug Administration, and its success doesn’t mean it’s been deemed safe, AdventHealth said.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2It followed 10 investigational telesurgeries between Orlando and Luanda, Angola, and marks the study's expansion into US hospitals. The GuardianLC “The procedure done on Mark came after 10 investigational telesurgeries between Orlando, Florida, and Luanda, Angola, while marking the study’s expansion into US hospitals” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “though AdventHealth said this was the first attempted fully in the US.” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2In a statement, Patel said access to specialized care has often depended on where a patient lives and that the study will evaluate whether telesurgery could one day reduce geographic barriers. The New York Post adds that Patel believes the procedure could usher in "a new era of surgery". The GuardianLC ““This study allows us to evaluate whether telesurgery could one day help reduce geographic barriers to specialized treatment.”” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “believes the procedure could usher in “a new era of surgery.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2AdventHealth cautioned that the surgery did not establish the technology's general clinical performance, and researchers are still evaluating telesurgery's safety, reliability and cybersecurity. The GuardianLC “AdventHealth said no previous reports had documented a telesurgery procedure between two US locations and cautioned that Sunday’s surgery did not establish the technology’s general clinical performance.” Read at The Guardian ↗ New York PostR “cybersecurity risks and connectivity failure are still being evaluated.” Read at New York Post ↗ Left · 1The Guardian adds that robotic prostatectomy carries risks including bleeding, infection, incontinence and erectile dysfunction, and that telesurgery adds risks of equipment or connection failure, making an onsite team ready to take over essential. It also notes a London surgeon's operation months earlier on a patient in Gibraltar, about 1,500 miles away, with a lag of 0.06 seconds. The GuardianLC “Telesurgery adds risks such as equipment or connection failures and cybersecurity threats, making it essential for there to be an on-site team to take over if needed.”“a surgeon in London used a four-armed robot equipped with a 3D camera to remove a man’s prostate in Gibraltar, about 1,500 miles away.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Guardian reports the milestone in a measured, explanatory way, with regulatory and risk context and a comparison to the earlier London-Gibraltar operation.
- Emphasis
- The FDA exemption is not approval, the risks of robotic prostatectomy and telesurgery, and the earlier international case.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not use Patel's 'new era of surgery' line.
- Charged language
- “headline-making”
- For example
-
“Robotic prostatectomy carries risks including bleeding, infection, incontinence and erectile dysfunction” — The Guardian
“Such an authorization permits the system to be studied but does not constitute FDA approval or clearance.” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The New York Post presents the operation as a breakthrough, led by the robot and the doctor's quotes, then adds caveats about readiness.
- Emphasis
- Patel's optimistic statements, including 'a new era of surgery', and the ABC-reported good recovery.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the detailed surgical risk list, the London-Gibraltar precedent, and Moschovas's name.
- Charged language
- “groundbreaking”“went under the knife”“a new era of surgery”
- For example
-
“in a groundbreaking telerobotic surgery that officials are touting as the first of its kind in the US.” — New York Post
“But the success of the operation doesn’t mean the procedure is ready for mass adoption just yet” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Dr Vipul Patel of AdventHealth's Global Robotics Institute operated remotely on a 66-year-old prostate cancer patient named Mark.
- The patient was in Minneola, Florida, 35 miles from the surgeon near Orlando.
- AdventHealth describes it as the first US telesurgery between two US locations, following 10 telesurgeries between Orlando and Luanda, Angola.
- The procedure ran under an FDA investigational device exemption, which is not approval, and safety and cybersecurity are still being evaluated.
- The patient is reported to be doing well.
Left1 article
-
Doctor removes prostate from 35 miles away in first telerobotic surgery in US
Neutral Explanatory report that stresses regulatory status, risks and context from a prior telesurgery.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Doctor-controlled robot removes patient’s prostate 35 miles away in first US telerobotic surgery
Celebratory Breakthrough-style account built around Patel's quotes, with caveats later in the piece.
- 27 Oct 22:48 First The GuardianLC Doctor removes prostate from 35 miles away in first telerobotic surgery in US
- 28 Oct 02:30 +3h 42m New York PostR Doctor-controlled robot removes patient’s prostate 35 miles away in first US telerobotic surgery
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…