Remote surgery has been performed for the first time between Denmark and the Faroe Islands, with a surgeon in Aabenraa operating on a patient more than 1,000 kilometres away in Tórshavn. The procedure, carried out on 16 September, marks the first use of robot-assisted telesurgery for an operation in Denmark and the first such procedure between two public hospitals in the Nordic countries.
The operation was part of a joint project between Sygehus Sønderjylland and Landssjúkrahúsið, following the robotic surgery trial previously reported by NordiskPost.
The first robot-assisted remote surgery was completed in 50 minutes
Consultant surgeon Jan Krzak was sitting at a console at Sygehus Sønderjylland in Aabenraa, southern Denmark, while the patient, the surgical robot and the local medical team were at Landssjúkrahúsið in Tórshavn.
Krzak remotely controlled the robot through a dedicated and isolated connection during an operation for an uncomplicated inguinal hernia. The remote part of the procedure took about 50 minutes, and the hospital said it was completed as planned.
The system does not have access to the hospitals’ internal networks or patient data systems. Data are instead transmitted through a separate communication channel designed specifically for the procedure.
The robot used in the project is a Toumai system provided by MicroPort MedBot.
A surgical team remained beside the patient in Tórshavn
The procedure did not leave the patient dependent on the remote connection alone. A full surgical and anaesthesiology team was physically present in Tórshavn throughout the operation.
A local surgeon was also ready to take control immediately if there had been a technical problem, a failure in the connection or a clinical situation requiring direct intervention.
The hospitals had previously carried out training sessions, simulations, technical tests and exercises covering emergency procedures before moving to operations involving patients.
The first cases are limited to a small number of selected patients with uncomplicated inguinal hernias. The operation forms part of an initial clinical study assessing whether the technology can work safely and reliably from technical, clinical and organisational perspectives.
Telesurgery could reduce travel from the Faroe Islands
For the Faroe Islands, the project could eventually address one of the structural challenges of providing specialised healthcare to a relatively small and geographically isolated population.
Many Faroese patients currently have to travel significant distances to receive treatments that cannot be provided locally. Chief physician Elinborg Mortensen of Landssjúkrahúsið said the project is examining whether technology can bring some specialist expertise closer to patients while maintaining controlled safety standards.
The aim is not to replace local medical teams, but to determine whether specialists based elsewhere can perform certain procedures remotely while Faroese healthcare professionals remain with the patient.
The first operation therefore represents an initial clinical test rather than the introduction of a routine service. The hospitals will now review factors including patient safety, technical stability, communication and clinical workflows before the project progresses further.
If the study confirms that the model can operate safely and consistently, robot-assisted remote surgery could give patients in the Faroe Islands access to some specialised procedures without requiring them to travel to Denmark. It could also provide a model for other remote communities across the Nordic region.
