Doctors in Pleven Performed Intercontinental Robotic Surgery With a Surgeon in Shanghai and a Patient in Bulgaria

Surgeons in Pleven performed an intercontinental robotic surgery with a surgeon in Shanghai and a patient in Bulgaria. Prof. Dr. Dobromir Dimitrov remotely operated a surgical robot from China, while the patient underwent surgery in Pleven, more than 8,000 kilometres away.

On 20 October 2026, the Medical University of Pleven, the Leonardo da Vinci Centre of Competence and the Department of Oncological Surgery at Dr Georgi Stranski University Hospital in Pleven performed an intercontinental robotic operation in which the surgical instruments were controlled remotely.

The procedure was carried out by Professor Dobromir Dimitrov, Rector of the Medical University of Pleven, who operated the surgical system from a specialist console in Shanghai, China, while the patient was in the operating theatre in Pleven. The operation marks a significant step forward in the development of telesurgery and demonstrates the potential of modern robotic technologies and communication systems to overcome geographical distances in medicine.

The patient underwent surgery for a left inguinal hernia using a minimally invasive robotic approach known as transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair. The Toumai robotic surgical system, developed by MicroPort MedBot, was used. From Shanghai, Professor Dimitrov performed the main stages of the procedure, including dissection, mesh placement and suturing of the peritoneum.

A team of specialists remained beside the patient in the operating theatre in Pleven throughout the procedure, ready to take over the operation if necessary. The team included Associate Professor Martin Karamanliev and Associate Professor Polina Marinova as the surgeons at the patient's side; Dr Slavina Yohanova, anaesthetist; operating theatre nurses Violeta Dinova and Jacqueline Mihaylova; and anaesthetic nurse Yuliana Vatkova.