In a groundbreaking medical achievement, a Chinese surgeon remotely performed prostate cancer surgery on a patient in Beijing while stationed in Rome.
From Superinnovators 11/08/24
The operation, which took place in June, was performed by Professor Zhang Xu, who used robotic arms controlled through a surgical console.
The distance between the surgeon and the patient was over 8,000 kilometres.
The telesurgery occurred at a conference in Rome, Italy, while the patient was at the Third Medical Center of the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing.
According to a report by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN Europe, a back-up surgical team monitored the procedure in Beijing.
The latency during the surgery was just 135 milliseconds, below the 200 milliseconds limit recommended for telesurgery.
Zhang explained that communication delays are a major concern in remote surgery, but noted this procedure was almost as seamless as performing surgery in person.
Vito Pansadoro, chairman of the conference, hailed the operation as a historical milestone in the field of robotics and laparoscopy.
The successful procedure has opened new possibilities for surgical treatments, particularly in military medical applications, according to the team.
They plan to explore further uses of this technology in future medical and military contexts.
More info
You may also be curious about:
-
Zebrafish “taste” oxygen: A breakthrough in respiratory biology
-
Illuminated platform system shows you which carriages have more space
-
Personal gritter attachment stops trucks sliding in the snow
-
New nanomaterial could transform how we visualise fingerprints
-
Dams built to prevent coastal flooding can worsen it
-
Building clay walls with novel robotic ‘dropping’ technique
-
Indoor air pollutants could have an impact on creativity
-
Peelable paint you can pull off whenever you like
-
World’s first magnetically controlled prosthetic hand
-
Laughter may be as effective as drops for dry eyes
-
Gel that stops severe bleeding in seconds gets FDA approval
-
Mirror, mirror, in my tank, who’s the biggest fish of all?