Viral Video Shows Remote Surgical Operation Performed on a Banana Using 5G; Is It Possible To Conduct Telesurgery?

In cellular technology, fifth-generation wireless (5G) is believed to have powered the Fourth Industrial Revolution, engineered to increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. 5G establishes a more secure and stable connectivity compared to its predecessors. Aside from this, 5G allows data to travel from one place to another with a shorter latency or delay between data submission and arrival.

(Photo: Pexels/ Vanessa Loring)

There is no doubt that meaningful user experiences have demonstrated the potential of 5G as a high-bandwidth, low-latency network technology that enables real-time applications over a mobile network. Just recently, a video was circulating online showing a banana undergoing remote surgery using the potential of 5G technology.

Medical Claim Gone Viral

The video first appeared in 2020 and has just recently re-emerged. It features a banana getting stitches in a robotic surgical operation, with captions claiming that a surgeon in London performed surgery over 5G on a banana in California.

The viral video first appeared in TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic by Dr. Kais Rona, a bariatric and robotic surgeon at Smart Dimensions Weight Loss in Southern California. It was also shared on Instagram by the username 'KaisTheSurgeon' to demonstrate the possibility of using a scalpel remotely on patients using robotics and 5G. Since then, the video has been reposted several times across multiple social media platforms.

The video garnered positive feedback from the viewers as it promises the potential of telesurgery. Some people were hopeful that this technology would increase access to healthcare without the need for travel. Remote surgery would also mean that the chance of human error would be reduced while mitigating the risk of infection. The procedure is also minimally invasive since robotic surgery is usually done using small incisions.

Several explanations have also appeared online regarding the possibility of conducting this procedure. Some sources claim that the low latency of 5G is the leading enabler of this technology. It is known that latency occurs when data is sent across a network to a device or machine using cables or through wireless connectivity. High latency allows those messages to be delivered longer. Lowering the latency of 5G to near instantaneous opens up a new possibility of performing remote surgery from various locations.

Fact or Fake?

The video does not show a robotic surgery being done remotely over 5G. Even Dr. Rona has been telling people that the technology is not 5G ever since. He also clarified that the procedure was done in Los Angeles, contrary to what is being spread online: the banana under surgery is in California.

According to Dr. Rona, the video was made during the pandemic when his clinic was not open to patients. He wanted to practice using his Da Vinci Xi robotic surgery device during that time. After realizing the journey of the video, he had mixed feelings about the situation as well as the role of social media in spreading false medical information.

In social media platforms, misinformation spreads like wildfire, and Dr. Rona thinks it is good and bad, like anything else. He believes getting exposure and correct and factual information from other physicians is good. Most of the time, however, people tend to post untrue or repost claims from doctors and alter the message.