Shanghai, China, 08 November 2023 — On October 25, MicroPort®MedBot™’s Toumai® Laparoscopic Surgical Robot (Toumai®) successfully conducted the world’s first 5G Remote Pediatric Surgery from a distance of over 2000 kilometers. This groundbreaking procedure was collaboratively completed by the Shanghai National Children’s Medical Center (affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine) and Sanya Women and Children’s Hospital. The surgery was performed after rigorous technical demonstrations, practical experiments, and research ethics discussions.
The surgery was remotely operated by Director Jie Sun from the Department of Urology at Shanghai Children's Medical Center. The patient, a 7-year-old child, was diagnosed with growth delay and a learning disability at Sanya Women and Children’s Hospital and underwent a series of tests revealing chromosomal abnormalities (46, XY). The child presented with female genital appearance without male sexual characteristics, leading to a diagnosis of 46, XY Disorders of Sex Development. A timely surgery was crucial with this diagnosis as there was a risk of cancer if not addressed promptly.
Given the uniqueness of the disease, a Multi-disciplinary Treatment was convened by the hospital. The experts formulated a detailed treatment plan that was prognostically favorable and invited Director Jie Sun to perform the 5G remote bilateral gonadectomy using Toumai®.
The surgery was completed in less than 40 minutes with negligible bleeding and overcame challenges posed by cross-sea signal transmission, including wave surges, temperature, and weather. There were no signal delays and the time difference during remote operation was controlled at the millisecond level, allowing real-time communication between the lead surgeon and the on-site surgical team. The child exhibited no significant postoperative discomfort and will continue to receive interdisciplinary outpatient care.
Director Jie Sun highlighted the remarkable impact of robotic technology on clinical surgery, effectively eliminating hand tremors and significantly enhancing precision and stability. This is especially evident in minimally invasive surgeries that require delicate manipulation, where robotic applications prove exceptional effectiveness. In this procedure, the blood loss was only about 5 ml, which was almost negligible. Additionally, the Toumai® Robot’s high-bandwidth 5G surgical technology enables the timely presentation of high-definition 3D images, and its low latency ensures synchrony between hand movements and visual feedback. The high flexibility of the wrist surgical instruments allow for precise control, dissection, and resection. Remote surgery also eliminates the need for long and arduous travels for both patients and doctors.
Professor Zhaohui Lu, President of Shanghai Children's Medical Center Hainan Branch, expressed his anticipation for the normalized implementation of remote 5G medical procedures in fields including pediatrics, gynecology, and obstetrics.
Mr. Yu Liu, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer of MicroPort® MedBot™, stated that, “We will continue to explore 5G remote surgery applications in partnership with hospitals and surgeons, pushing forward medical technological innovation and progress and thereby enhancing the quality of healthcare and benefiting more patients.”
About MicroPort® MedBot™
Founded in 2015, MicroPort® MedBot™ (Shanghai MicroPort MedBot Group Co., Ltd.; HKEX: 02252), is an associated company of MicroPort® (MicroPort Scientific Corporation; HKEX: 00853) and, is currently the only surgical robot company in the world with businesses covering five promising subsectors of surgical robots, including endoscopy, orthopedics, vascular intervention, natural orifice surgery, and percutaneous puncture. At MicroPort® MedBot™, we are committed to meeting the growing demand for cutting-edge robotic surgery by integrating advanced research on robotics, control algorithms, electrical engineering, image-based navigation and precision imaging. We provide comprehensive intelligent surgical solutions to lead the advancement of robotic surgery and shape the era of super intelligent surgery so patients everywhere can continue living better and longer lives.
More information is available at www.medbotsurgical.com/en
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