{
  "id": 6785336,
  "title": "Remote work: Panama surgeon removes brain clot from patient 200 kilometres away",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/remote-work-panama-surgeon-removes-brain-clot-from-patient-200",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-11T18:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/09/11/remote-work-panama-surgeon-removes-brain-clot-from-patient-200-kilometres-away/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A surgeon in Panama City successfully removed a blood clot from a stroke patient's brain using a robotic system located over 200 kilometres away in the country's Veraguas province. The patient fully recovered after the surgery, which was performed by a doctor operating remotely. This operation signifies that delicate surgical procedures can be conducted remotely, thanks to the Iris robotic system developed by the US company XCath with funding from the UAE. The system, which guides a small robot through a catheter to the blockage site, has been tested in simulations and real-world operations. The robotic surgery, which took about an hour, involved using a wire device called a stent retriever to remove the obstruction. The remote procedure, which took place in March, had previously been simulated in May 2024 when Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira controlled the robot from Abu Dhabi while it operated on a model in South Korea. The remote thrombectomies, where clots are removed to restore blood flow to the brain, are usually performed manually but are not available in many parts of the world. According to XCath's CEO, Eduardo Fonseca, fewer than 2.8 percent of the global population has access to this life-saving therapy. The Iris system, which is not yet approved by any regulatory body, is expected to be commercially available within the next year, with plans to establish permanent trial sites in locations with limited access to such procedures.",
  "summary": "A surgeon in Panama has successfully removed a blood clot from a stroke patient's brain from more than 200 kilometres away, using a UAE-funded robotic system. Developers say the system proves that the technology can perform delicate procedures remotely. The patient was treated in Panama City by a doctor operating from Santiago in the country's Veraguas province and has fully recovered. The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Remote work: Panama surgeon removes brain clot from patient 200 kilometres away",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/remote-work-panama-surgeon-removes-brain-clot-from-patient-200-6786931",
        "published": "2026-09-11T18:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}