Feasibility of robotic telesurgery over wired and private 5 G networks within Brazil’s public health system (SUS): a pilot study

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and performance of a robotic telesurgery platform operating within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) infrastructure in a dry lab environment under wired and private 5 G network conditions. METHODS: Over three consecutive days, robotic surgeons performed three standardized dry lab tasks from a remote console at PROMIN‒FMUSP, with the robotic unit at HU-USP. Sessions were conducted using either a wired or a private 5 G network. Performance outcomes included task success and completion time. Connectivity metrics ‒ latency, jitter and packet loss ‒ were recorded; and per-participant mean values were used in descriptive analyses. Surgeons completed post-session assessments of perceived safety, usability, and mental workload. RESULTS: Twenty-eight robotic surgeons completed dry lab sessions (23 wired, 5 private 5 G). Task success was 100% for Task 1, 82.1% for Task 2, and 89.3% for Task 3; all failures occurred in wired sessions. Median completion times were 26 s (Task 1), 4.5 min (Task 2), and 8.5 min (Task 3). Median latency and jitter were significantly higher in 5 G than in wired sessions (latency: 32.4 vs. 12.0 ms; jitter: 30.8 vs. 6.8 ms). Median packet loss was low under both conditions (0.0% in 5 G; 0.09% in wired). Most surgeons rated the system as safe (78.6% assigned the maximum safety score) and considered it suitable for high-complexity procedures (67.9%). CONCLUSION: Robotic telesurgery within SUS infrastructure was feasible in a simulated environment. Although the private 5 G network exhibited higher latency and jitter than the wired connection, the task completion and usability were preserved, supporting further evaluation in controlled clinical settings.