Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeSurgeons can safely perform two common operations from distances of up to 1,700 miles, a new study has found. This remarkable capability is akin to a medic based in southern Europe operating on a patient in the UK. “This study provides a useful perspective on whether telesurgery could be as reliable as standard robotic surgery. “Its role in the broader expansion of robotic surgery therefore remains uncertain.