Hospital's 'shot in the arm' for minimally invasive surgery

Doctors from Ruijin Hospital have teamed up with the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology to develop a robotic arm with an endoscope.

The arm can greatly assist surgeons in minimally invasive surgery by using naked-eye 3D to allow the arm to position and stabilize pictures under a doctor's vision through eye-tracking technology, said Dr Zheng Minhua from Ruijin Hospital. He made the remarks during the 17th Chinese Congress of Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgery in Shanghai on Saturday.

The first minimally invasive surgery in China, to remove a gall bladder, was conducted in 1991.

The medical development and technology improvement have brought great benefit to patients, who can enjoy a smaller injury and quicker recovery from such surgery, experts said.

"There is one milestone every 10 years during the process of endoscopic surgery in China," said Zheng, who introduced the technology from the West to China. 

"From benign diseases to cancer, endoscopic surgery has taken a great role in surgery and the focus has turned from technology and skill, to patients' demand and benefits."

Surgeons don't only measure their success by the duration of a surgery, whether the tumor is removed completely or the scar of the cut, but the overall condition of patients. Their benefits are the most important, he said.

"The skill level of endoscopic surgery for gastric cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic diseases in China has been in line and even surpassed Western countries. We should focus more on innovation," Zheng added.

"We are learning from Western doctors and hospitals. New ideas can be developed into clinical products quickly."

Ruijin Hospital's experts have teamed with other domestic doctors and some foreign experts to establish innovation clubs to share ideas and information on new drugs, new technologies and new idea and technology transfer.

Ti Gong