At 13:30 on June 9, from Shanghai Chest Hospital to Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital in Xinjiang, a Chinese-developed robot-assisted chest surgery was under way based on 5G technology across 5,000 kilometers in distance..."Operated smoothly and steadily!" Professor Qingquan Luo, Executive Deputy Director of the Department of Oncology, successfully completed the first animal experiment of robot-assisted lobectomy across Shanghai and Xinjiang in China using China's self-developed MicroPort^® Toumai^® endoscopic robot system at the master control terminal in Shanghai. The success of this experiment signifies Chinese-developed robot-assisted thoracic surgery technology may go beyond the limitations of space and geography, expanding the application of surgical regions and "extending" thousands of miles away, allowing more patients to receive quality medical services. Jinhua Wu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Yongchun Yu, Vice President of Shanghai Chest Hospital, Weihua Chen, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital in Xinjiang, Tianxiang Chen, a cadre of Shanghai Chest Hospital supporting Xinjiang and Vice President of Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital, and the person in charge of the development of MicroPort^® MedBot^® witnessed the procedure together.

Shanghai Chest Hospital was the first organization in China's mainland to carry out robot-assisted thoracic surgery. It has been focusing on the emerging fields of robots for more than ten years, and exploring the development of home-made robot-assisted surgical operating systems with yielded promising results. As the first person to perform robot-assisted thoracic surgery in China, and the holder of the "double record" for the number of individual robotic lung resections, Professor Qingquan Luo has long been engaged in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of robot-assisted thoracic tumors and the development of Chinese-developed robot operating systems. He has finished a number of animal experiments on lung lobectomy assisted by Chinese-developed single-port lumpectomy robots, and also participated in the establishment of the Medical Robot Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Medical Robotics Clinical Research Center of Shanghai Chest Hospital, and led the formulation of China's first Clinical Expert Consensus on Robot-Assisted Lung Cancer Surgery, as well as many national and provincial robot-related cases and clinical studies in the field of thoracic surgery.

To ensure that this animal experiment can be carried out smoothly, the preliminary work of the robot-assisted surgery was completed on site in Xinjiang guided by Director Qingquan Luo under the collaboration and cooperation of Shanghai Chest Hospital, Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital and the MicroPort^® MedBot^® development team. The animal experiment was started as scheduled and Director Luo controlled the Toumai^® robotic arm to quickly complete the anatomical freeing, cutting and suturing of bronchi and blood vessels. The electric hook, Maryland forceps and ultrasonic knife were used safely and reliably, and the ligation and suture were smoothly performed. The operation took nearly one hour and was successfully completed. The success of this ultra-long-distance animal experiment verified smooth manipulation of the robotic arm over a long distance (5000 km), clear 3D images of the surgical field, continuous and uninterrupted transmission of manipulation signals, clear intraoperative voice communication, and qualified emergency plans. Such event indicates that the Chinese-developed robot operating system is safe and reliable in thoracic surgery as another powerful practical evidence for the clinical application of remote robot-assisted thoracic surgery.

At the end of the surgery, Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital also organized the first training on the operation of robot-assisted surgery techniques in Kashgar with the support of Shanghai Chest Hospital and the MicroPort^® MedBot R&D team. Next, Shanghai Chest Hospital will make continuous efforts to deepen and promote the widespread use of Chinese-developed surgical robots in thoracic surgery, and train more young surgeons to be familiar with and master the robot technology, so that more patients will really enjoy the advantages and benefits of China's "smart" manufacturing. In addition, the hospital will also continue to drive high-quality development of health care in Shanghai and Xinjiang with high-level medical services.