Telemedicine enables patients in remote areas to access consultations and treatments, overcoming challenges related to the uneven distribution and availability of medical resources. However, the execution of remote surgery still faces technical and operational challenges, particularly with data transmission speed and maintaining surgical accuracy. In a significant development, surgeons successfully performed a remote robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy across a distance of 1,200 km using a surgical robot and 5G technology. This surgery, broadcast live over the network, highlights the feasibility of remote surgery and represents an important advancement in telemedicine.

Surgeons located at the Chinese PLA General Hospital (Beijing, China) performed the first globally broadcast remote robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy using the Edge Multi-Port Endoscopic Surgical Robot MP1000 (Edge MP1000) from Edge Medical (Shenzhen, China) and 5G communication technology. The surgical commands were inputted into the console and transmitted through a dedicated data line to the slave console in Wuhan, where they were converted into actual surgical actions. Three-dimensional images from the endoscope at the slave console were sent back in real time to the surgeon's console via the 5G network, ensuring a seamless, closed-loop operation.

The remote communication system of the surgical robot was also equipped to monitor and record both the surgical procedure and network performance, while providing intelligent assistance. According to the study published in Intelligent Surgery, the communication between the two teams was effective, allowing for smooth cooperation and interaction. The patient experienced a smooth recovery and was discharged on the fourth day without any postoperative complications.

“This achieved the specific requirements of low latency, high precision and high reliability for surgical operations,” said Yuanguang Meng, lead researcher of the case report. “Data showed that the bidirectional latency during the surgery was only 19 ms, with a maximum jitter of about 3 ms in rare moments, and a frame drop rate of approximately 0.2%.”

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