Intuitive has demonstrated its remote da Vinci 5 telesurgery capabilities by remotely connecting two surgeons in Peachtree Corners, Georgia and Strasbourg, France.

Using a dual console da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system, Doug Stoddard, MD (Georgia) and Andrea Pakula, MD (France) performed a telesurgery on an advanced tissue model built by Intuitive to replicate live tissue’s behavior. Dr. Stoddard’s console was alongside the da Vinci 5 patient cart and tissue model—he could pass surgical instrument control back and forth remotely to Dr. Pakula, who was at the remote surgeon console.

This also included force feedback so both surgeons could feel forces exerted on the tissue by the instruments, despite being over 4,000 miles apart.

Intuitive CEO Dave Rosa said at the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) conference in Strasbourg, France that telesurgery is an area that the company has been innovating in for many years. The company believes it has the potential to grow access to minimally invasive care, but its success depends on careful development in several areas.

“At Intuitive we’ve built robotic surgical technology from the ground up and our focus has always been patient safety and delivering real value—not technology for technology’s sake,” Rosa told the press. “For 30 years, we’ve created products that help healthcare providers deliver better care, improve clinician and care team experiences, and drive efficiencies in care delivery.

Rosa also said that telesurgery is only one part of Intuitive’s telecollaboration suite. It also includes telementoring, teleproctoring, and dual console surgery, which can help clinical teams improve outcomes and reduce cost of care.

“It’s exciting to see progress, but we’re clear there’s still a long way to go,” Rosa said.

Telesurgery first became feasible in 2001 when surgeons performed the first transatlantic procedure between the U.S. and Strasbourg, France, named Operation Lindbergh. Brian Miller, Ph.D., Intuitive’s executive VP and chief digital officer, was an engineer supporting Operation Lindbergh.

“While not a new idea for Intuitive, telesurgery requires a high performing network infrastructure and a robotic system designed for remote collaboration to be successful and sustainable,” Dr. Miller said. “Our focus is not on being first but on being rigorous in building the infrastructure to support safety, reliability, and consistent use.”

The company’s da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system received CE mark clearance earlier this month for adult and pediatric minimally invasive endoscopic procedures across abdominopelvic and thoracoscopic surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, and general laparoscopic procedures.