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Medical professionals from the Scottish region and the United States have performed what is believed to be a world-first stroke procedure employing a robot.

Prof Iris Grunwald, working at a medical institution, performed the distant clot removal - the removal of blood clots post a stroke - on a medical specimen that had been provided for research.

The expert was positioned in a medical facility in the Scottish city, while the subject undergoing procedure via the device was at another location at the university.

Hours later, a medical specialist from Florida used the system to perform the first transatlantic surgery from his American facility on a human body in Scotland over 4,000 miles away.

The research collective has called it a potential "game changer" if it gains clearance for clinical application.

The surgeons believe this technology could change stroke care, as a limited availability of expert care can have a major influence on the chances of recovery.

"The experience was we were observing the initial vision of the coming era," commented the medical expert.

"Where previously this was considered futuristic fantasy, we demonstrated that all stages of the operation can already be done."

The medical research center is the global training center of the international stroke organization, and is the sole location in the UK where medical professionals can work with medical specimens with human blood pumped through the arteries to mimic treatment on a live human.

"This marked the initial occasion that we could execute the entire surgical process in a genuine medical subject to prove that all steps of the procedure are achievable," explained the lead expert.

Juliet Bouverie, the head of a health foundation, labeled the intercontinental surgery as "a significant breakthrough".

"During many years, people living in remote and rural areas have been deprived of access to surgical intervention," she added.

"This type of automation could address the disparity which persists in stroke treatment nationwide."

How does the technology work?

An blockage stroke takes place when an artery is blocked by a blockage.

This cuts off circulation and oxygenation to the brain, and brain cells stop functioning and die.

The best treatment is a thrombectomy, where a expert uses catheters and wires to remove the clot.

But what happens when a person can't get to a specialist who can do the procedure?

The lead researcher explained the study demonstrated a mechanical device could be connected to the equivalent surgical tools a surgeon would typically employ, and a medical staff who is with the patient could simply attach the instruments.

The surgeon, in another location, could then operate and direct their own wires, and the mechanical device then carries out exactly the same movements in real time on the individual to perform the clot removal.

The subject would be in a hospital operating room, while the doctor could conduct the surgery with the technological system from anywhere - even their personal residence.

The lead researcher and Ricardo Hanel could view live X-rays of the body in the studies, and track developments in real time, with the Scottish specialist saying it took just a brief period of instruction.

Technology companies leading tech firms were involved in the research to guarantee the connectivity of the robot.

"To perform surgery from the America to the Scottish nation with a minimal delay - an instant - is genuinely extraordinary," stated the medical expert.

The future of stroke treatment

The lead researcher, who has received recognition for her contributions and is also the vice president of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, said there were key issues with a standard thrombectomy - a global shortage of surgeons who can conduct it, and treatment depends on your geographical position.

In Scotland, there are merely three sites patients can receive the procedure - three major cities. If you reside elsewhere, you must commute.

"The intervention is very time sensitive," explained Prof Grunwald.

"Each six-minute postponement, you have a one percent reduced probability of having a good outcome.

"This technology would now deliver a new way where you're not depending on where you live - conserving the crucial moments where your brain is otherwise dying."

Healthcare information revealed there were {9,625 ischaemic strokes|numerous cerebral events|