Telesurgery is a new approach to surgical care in which a surgeon performs operations using a surgical robot and advanced computer technology on a patient located miles away.

Timothy Broderick, MD, assistant professor of surgery at UC and medical director for its Center for Surgical Innovation (CSI), is leading the first test of a prototype communications platform for mobile telesurgery: the High Altitude Platforms for Mobile Robotic Telesurgery (HAPsMRT).

This two-phase telesurgery experiment takes place between Simi Valley, California--a desolate and arid area surrounded by hills and plains--and Seattle, Washington, June 59.

The HAPsMRT model--developed in collaboration with the U.S. Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center and the University of Washington--uses an unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV), or "drone," as the communications connecting point between a surgeon in one part of the country and a patient located hundreds of miles away.

Current telesurgery tools rely on satellite communication and streaming video delivered via high-speed Internet. In remote locations, explains Dr. Broderick, satellite signals are not always dependable and can result in delays that make surgery difficult.

"Reliable, high-speed communication signals are critical for telesurgery to work in day-to-day patient care," explains Dr. Broderick. "Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the communications lag to enable the surgeon to safely operate on a remote patient in real time."

HAPsMRT utilizes low-latency communication transmissions, so the communication signals travel over a shorter distance and with fewer delays.

In phase one of the mission, a simulated patie
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Contact: Amanda Harper
amanda.harper@uc.edu
513-558-4657
University of Cincinnati
5-Jun-2006