Poland’s First Remote Surgery: A Medical Breakthrough

Patients in Warsaw were operated on remotely by surgeons in Gdańsk.

This is a historic breakthrough in medicine. On August 1, 2025, Polish surgeons, led by Professor Piotr Suwalski, became the first in Europe to perform remote surgery. The doctors stayed in the MSWiA hospital in Gdańsk, while the patients were located at the State Medical Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Warsaw.

The key to success was the modern EDGE MP1000 surgical robot, which costs 6–7 million zlotys. That’s about 13 million zlotys less than the famous Da Vinci model. The successful remote surgery was made possible by an internet connection with a latency of just 5 milliseconds—less than the time it takes to blink. Therefore, surgeons could freely control the tool performing the work in the capital.

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Two Operations, Two Successes

The first remote operation involved a 67-year-old with coronary artery disease. Specialists performed an aortocoronary bypass, commonly known as bypass surgery. The second procedure involved a prostate removal, a radical prostatectomy, on a 60-year-old patient with cancer. Both operations not only ended successfully but, according to the doctors, were no different from those they perform in person every day.

The success created a wide-ranging buzz. “Doctors at @pim_mswia became the first in Europe to perform telesurgical procedures between hospitals using a robot. Patients were in an operating room in Warsaw, while the doctors were in Gdańsk. This is a milestone in robotic operations! Huge congratulations to Professor P. Suwalski,” Marcin Kierwiński, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, posted on his X account.

Remote Surgery is the Future of Global Medicine

Professor Piotr Suwalski and Dr. Paweł Wisz announce these were not their last operations. Already, the State Medical Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Warsaw plans to launch a training center dedicated to robotic technology. Classes will take place both on-site and remotely.

Pioneering operations give hope not just to patients in Poland. This solution can significantly improve access to medical services in hard-to-reach areas of the world. For example, it helps in places without specialized medical staff.

Read the original article: Chirurg w Gdańsku, pacjent na stole w Warszawie. Przełomowa operacja