India first tele-robotic hernia repairs using the SSI mantra system: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND

Tele-robotic surgery represents an evolving model for delivering advanced surgical care using robotic platforms operated from a physically separate console within a connected institutional network. AIM: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and short-term outcomes of robotic tele-robotic inguinal hernia repair using the SSI Mantra system in a simulated tele-robotic surgery model.

METHODS

This prospective case series involved ten adult patients with primary inguinal hernias including six indirect and four direct operated in July 2025. All surgeries were performed using the SSI Mantra robotic platform, with the surgeon operating remotely from a console within the same institutional network in different locations. Operative and postoperative data were collected and analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

All ten procedures were completed successfully without conversion or device malfunction. The mean docking time was 7 min, console time 36.8 ± 4.5 min, and total operative time 42.6 ± 5.3 min. Intraoperative blood loss was < 20 ml in all cases. No intraoperative complications occurred. Patients were ambulated the same day and resumed oral intake within 24 h. The average hospital stay was 1.6 ± 0.4 days, and pain was well-managed with a mean VAS score of 2.1 on postoperative day one. No readmissions or early wound complications were noted.

CONCLUSION

This case series marks a in documenting India’s first clinical experience with robotic tele-robotic inguinal hernia repair using the SSI Mantra system. We emphasize that the outcomes reported are restricted to short-term feasibility and early postoperative safety, not long-term efficacy or recurrence outcomes.