World-First Transatlantic Robotic Thrombectomy

The image does not accurately depict the actual Sentante haptic robotic platform and is used solely as a placeholder within the article.

In October 2025, surgeons in Scotland and the United States completed what is believed to be the first robot‑assisted stroke procedure, marking a major milestone that could redefine future stroke care by enabling treatment independent of a patient’s physical location.

Using the Sentante haptic robotic platform, Dr. Ricardo Hanel (Baptist Health, Florida) operated on a perfused human cadaver located over 6,400 km away at the University of Dundee. This transatlantic thrombectomy builds on earlier work by Professor Iris Grunwald, who demonstrated that a fully remote thrombectomy – from vascular access to clot retrieval – can be performed on a human body.

The system mirrors the operator’s hand movements in real time, provides tactile feedback, and uses standard catheters and wires. With perfused cadaver models simulating realistic vascular conditions, the team showed that every step of thrombectomy can be executed remotely. The procedure relied on high‑speed, low‑latency connectivity, achieving a delay of only 120 ms, effectively imperceptible during operation.

For the MDRinAIS project, which aims to improve outcomes for LVO‑related AIS patients transferred for Mechanical Thrombectomy, this achievement is highly relevant. Access to thrombectomy remains unequal and time‑critical, with only 2.2% of ischemic stroke patients in Scotland and 3.9% in the UK receiving MT due to specialist shortages and burdensome secondary transfers.

Remote robotic intervention could reduce transfers, expand access to expertise, and reshape how complex, time‑sensitive procedures are delivered. Although not yet tested clinically, this development has the potential to significantly transform stroke care accessibility and broader health‑system resilience.

Resources: 

[1] “Critical Stroke Procedure Performed from Across the Atlantic” [ 2025] Sentante, https://sentante.com/news/milestone-for-remote-surgery-as-critical-stroke-procedure-performed-from-across-the-atlantic/, (Accessed on 24.04.2026)

Author(s): Guna Semjonova, Riga Stradiņš University

Key words: #RoboticThrombectomy #RemoteSurgery #StrokeCareInnovation #Telemedicine #LVOStroke