In 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop across the Atlantic for the first time in history, aboard the Spirit of St. Louis. The pioneering feat took place from Paris to New York. That’s why it was only fitting that the first operation performed remotely across the Atlantic using robotic surgery should carry the name Operation Lindbergh. In 2001, surgeons in New York removed the gallbladder of a patient in France using a remote-controlled robotic system. It was the world’s first tele-surgery. The patient, a 68-year-old woman, came through the surgery without complications and made a full recovery. Since 2001, physicians have explored remote procedures with greater sophistication, but it's still expected to take another 10 years before it becomes commonplace.
