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Technical and Ethical Considerations in Telesurgery

Telesurgery, a cutting-edge field at the intersection of medicine and technology, holds immense promise for enhancing surgical capabilities, extending medical care, and improving patient outcomes. In this scenario, this article explores the landscape of technical and ethical considerations that highlight the advancement and adoption of telesurgery.

Network considerations are crucial for ensuring seamless and low-latency communication between remote surgeons and robotic systems, while technical challenges encompass system reliability, latency reduction, and the integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G networks. Therefore, this article also explores the critical role of network infrastructure, highlighting the necessity for low-latency, high-bandwidth, secure and private connections to ensure patient safety and surgical precision. Moreover, ethical considerations in telesurgery include patient consent, data security, and the potential for remote surgical interventions to distance surgeons from their patients. Legal and regulatory frameworks require refinement to accommodate the unique aspects of telesurgery, including liability, licensure, and reimbursement. Our article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of telesurgery technology and its potential while critically examining the challenges that must be navigated for its widespread adoption.
Vipul Patel,1,2  Shady Saikali,3 Marcio Covas Moschovas,1,2 Ela Patel,4 Richard Satava,5 Prokar Dasgupta,6 Mischa Dohler,7 Justin W Collins,8,9,10 David Albala,11,12 Jacques Marescaux13

  1. AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute, Celebration, FL, USA.
  2. University of Central Florida (UCF), Orlando, FL, USA.
  3. AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute, Celebration, FL, USA. 
  4. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
  5. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  6. MRC Centre for Transplantation, Department of Urology, King's Health Partners, King's College London, London, UK.
  7. Advanced Technology Group, Ericsson Inc., Santa Clara, CA, 95054, USA.
  8. Division of Uro-Oncology, University College London Hospital, London, UK.
  9. Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, Research Department of Targeted Intervention, University College London, London, UK.
  10. CMR Surgical, Cambridge, UK.
  11. Downstate Health Sciences University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
  12. Department of Urology, Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, NY, USA.
  13. IRCAD, Research Institute Against Digestive Cancer, Strasbourg, France.
PubMed: Patel V, Saikali S, Moschovas MC, Patel E, Satava R, Dasgupta P, Dohler M, Collins JW, Albala D, Marescaux J. Technical and ethical considerations in telesurgery. J Robot Surg. 2024 Jan 17;18(1):40.