World’s Youngest Telesurgery Performed on 16-Month-Old Baby, 1,600 km Away

Hyderabad: — In a groundbreaking achievement for Indian healthcare, doctors at Preeti Kidney Hospital have combined robotic surgery with telesurgery to perform life-saving procedures on patients thousands of kilometers away. The landmark surgeries, enabled by the indigenous SSI Mantra robotic system and 5G technology, are being hailed as milestones in global medical history.

Dr. V. Chandramohan, Managing Director of Preeti Kidney Hospital and Chief Urologist, revealed details of the extraordinary cases.

One such case involved a 16-month-old baby, born with a congenital kidney defect known as ureteropelvic junction obstruction. The condition, caused by a blocked renal pelvis (the funnel-shaped part of the kidney), prevents urine from passing into the bladder. “The baby needed surgery to clear the obstruction. While the child was admitted at Preeti Kidney Hospital in Kondapur, I operated remotely from the SSI Mantra office in Gurugram — nearly 1,600 km away. The entire procedure took just an hour, making this the world’s youngest telesurgery ever performed. The child was discharged the very next day,” Dr. Chandramohan explained.

Earlier, a similar telesurgery had only been reported in China on an 8-year-old child, making India’s feat a historic first.

In another pioneering case, a woman in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, was left with severe urinary leakage after a hysterectomy. While local doctors were skilled in open surgery, they lacked training in robotic techniques. Using 5G-enabled telesurgery, Dr. Chandramohan remotely performed a complex reconstructive procedure from Hyderabad, lasting an hour and 20 minutes. This marked the first-ever cross-state telesurgery of its kind in India.

These achievements were made possible through the teamwork of Dr. Roopa (Executive Director), Dr. Rangappa (CEO), Dr. Ramakrishna (Senior Surgeon), Dr. Hemant & Dr. Soundarya (Senior Urologists), Dr. Devender (Pediatric Anesthetist), Dr. Vamsi (Pediatrician), as well as coordinators, technicians, and robotic engineers from both Preeti Hospital and SSI Mantra Robotics.

Dr. Chandramohan emphasized the broader impact of telesurgery:

“India is a vast country, and it is not possible to have top specialists everywhere. With telesurgery, one expert can guide or perform procedures across multiple locations. A single console can connect up to ten robotic systems simultaneously. This not only benefits patients in remote areas but also becomes a training platform for local surgeons.”

With these milestones, India has not only advanced medical accessibility but also set a new global benchmark in robotic and remote surgical care.