Surgeon operates on patient 5,000km away

Local medical experts have carried out the first remote lung cancer operation by using a domestically-made 5G surgical robot.

On Saturday, doctors from Shanghai Chest Hospital operated the system in Shanghai, while the robotic system in Kashgar of Xinjiang Autonomous Region completed the surgery on the patient 5,000 kilometers away.

The success of the operation reflects the development of domestic surgical robot technology, which allows patients to enjoy high-end service in their hometown instead of going all the way to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, said Dr Luo Qingquan from Shanghai Chest Hospital and the leading surgeon of the operation.

The hospital is the nation's first medical facility carrying out robot-assisted surgery on the chest, and it is also the facility carrying out the largest quantity of such surgery in the nation.

In addition to conducting robot surgery, the hospital has been actively involved in the research and development of robot technology.

This remote surgery was based on the detailed clinical research and works of domestically-made surgical robots. As preparation, Luo's team fulfilled the nation's first intra-city remote robotic surgery on an animal in March to confirm its safety and feasibility.

After a one-year preparation, the surgery was finally conducted.

Dr Luo Qingquan operated the system in Shanghai, with doctors in Xinjiang as assistants. They worked smoothly as if they were in the same operation room. The whole operation was completed within one hour.

"The success of this surgery is a milestone to show the clinical capability of a domestically-made surgical robot, which can bring more benefit to patients, especially those in remote and rural regions," Luo said.