Florida surgeon performs robotic surgery on patient 35 miles away

ORLANDO, Fla. (WWSB) - A Florida surgeon operated on a patient Sunday while more than 30 miles away, using robotic surgical instruments.The 66-year-old patient walked into Advent Health Mineola outside of Orlando. His surgeon, Dr. Vipul Patel, was at Advent Health Celebration in Kissimmee and performed the surgery remotely. The patient needed surgery to have his prostate removed. Patel controlled the robotic surgical instruments from 35 miles away.Sarasota Memorial surgeon combines two new heart devices in single procedureThe surgery was part of an FDA-authorized research study and is the first reported robotic tele-surgery in the United States. The same medical team previously performed this surgery from Central Florida on a patient in Africa. The technology would theoretically allow a surgeon to operate from anywhere in the world.Advent Health said more research is necessary before larger conclusions can be made regarding the technology.