Gallbladder surgery done at long distance with 5G

"With the help of a 5G-powered robot, a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province successfully removed a gallbladder on Thursday from a patient in the city of Aral, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, some 4,650 kilometers away.

It was China's first ultra-long-distance gallbladder removal conducted through a robot using 5G technology.

Both the core software and the core hardware of the robot, a four-arm endoscopic model, were developed in China, said Liang Xiao, an experienced surgeon who carried out the operation through the robot's operating platform at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with the Medical School of Zhejiang University.

"I feel quite happy for the patient," said Liang. "And I am very proud to do the surgery with a robot system that has been independently researched and produced in China."

The patient, a woman in her 30s who lives in Aral, was diagnosed with gallstones over a year ago without apparent symptoms, but began to experience pains in her upper right abdomen a week ago. Examinations at a local hospital partnered with Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital revealed that she had developed acute inflammation of the gallbladder that required surgery as soon as possible.

After learning about robot-assisted surgery, the patient, whose full identity wasn't revealed to protect her privacy, opted for it..." Lire la suite