Meizhou, China - The Honghu Orthopedic Surgical Robot (hereinafter referred to as "Honghu"), developed independently by MicroPort NaviBot (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shanghai MicroPort MedBot (Group) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "MicroPort^® MedBot^®"), have successfully completed its first MicroPort^® Honghu orthopedic surgical robot-assisted TKA recently in Fujian-guangdong-jiangxi border region at Meizhou People's Hospital. The surgery was performed by a team led by Dr. Hongxing Liao, a chief surgeon of the Joint Surgery of Meizhou People's Hospital. The successful completion of the first TKA assisted by Honghu Orthopedic Surgical Robot signifies that Honghu has gained more clinical experience and expert recognition, and is a strong proof that the MicroPort^® MedBot^® helps expand the high-quality medical resources to the remote region. The tour of Honghu in Meizhou will further meet the demand of patients for high-quality mini-invasive surgery, accelerate the process of smart medical care in the remote region, and contribute to the "Healthy China" initiative.

The patient was a 65-year-old female with pain in both knees for 20 years. Recently, the pain worsened and she was admitted to Meizhou People's Hospital. Preoperative examination revealed varus deformity of both knee joints, and the diagnosis was osteoarthritis. The patient had pain in both knees before surgery, which resulted in significant obstruction of walking function and seriously affected her quality of life. After a comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Hongxing Liao's team decided to perform Honghu robot-assisted TKA.

Before the surgery, Dr. Hongxing Liao's team performed 3D reconstruction of the knee joint CT image by Honghu to develop a personalized prosthesis installation plan in line with the physiological characteristics of the patient and improved the efficiency of the subsequent surgical treatment; during the surgery, Honghu guided the robot arm registration and bone registration, where the robot arm was precisely positioned to the positions as scheduled, and the integrated osteotomy tool assisted the surgeon in completing the osteotomy of femur and tibia, thus achieving precise placement of the prosthesis.

The entire process was smooth and efficient, and postoperative measurement showed that the actual resection volume and postoperative mechanical axis of the lower limb was completely consistent with the planning before surgery, truly achieving efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the automatic positioning osteotomy function of Honghu prevents problems such as the risk of causing damage to the patient's medullary cavity as a result of using intramedullary positioning tools, largely reducing the damage to soft tissues and bone tissues, resulting in less bleeding and trauma to the patient, and faster recovery of the knee function after surgery. It is reported that the patient recovered well after the surgery and could start early functional exercise the next day.

On the one hand, the smooth promotion and successful completion of the surgery in this case benefits from the efficient, tacit cooperation and skilled operation of Dr. Hongxing Liao's team; on the other hand, the standardized preoperative training for the doctors and nurses team delivered by the MicroPort^® MedBot^® also made great contribution. Before the surgery, MicroPort^® MedBot^® clinical training team conducted training on a series of preparation and operation processes such as bone registration, accuracy inspection, intraoperative osteotomy, robot arm registration, and osteotomy registration of Honghu Orthopedic Surgical Robot, helping medical teams master the operation skills of Honghu and giving more expert teams the opportunity to apply Honghu in clinical surgery. With its efficient, intelligent preoperative planning ability and well-established teaching and training services, Honghu Orthopedic Surgical Robot can further press the learning curve of surgeons, help the medical team to rapidly enhance the operation and application ability of orthopedic surgical robots, and improve the surgical efficiency, providing advanced, powerful health technology support, and professional, thoughtful training services to make surgical robot technology accessible to grassroots hospitals and benefiting more patients.

1 The registered trademark of HongHu is named “Skywalker” in abroad, which is in the process of application in USA, completed registration in EU and other countries and regions.