China, Gansu - Recently, the team led by Director Guo Hongzhang from Gansu Provincial People's Hospital successfully completed another remarkable total knee arthroplasty (TKA) assisted by the SkyWalker™ orthopedic surgical robot (SkyWalker™), achieving excellent results. This marks the 100th successful SkyWalker™ robot-assisted surgery performed at Gansu Provincial People's Hospital, setting a new record for similar surgeries at the hospital! This signifies that the orthopedic diagnosis and treatment level at Gansu Provincial People's Hospital has reached an advanced level in China, opening a new chapter in the field of intelligent orthopedic diagnosis and treatment in Gansu Province and setting a new benchmark.

In 2022, Gansu Provincial People's Hospital took the lead in introducing the SkyWalker™ robot in the province and put it into use in December of the same year, successfully completing the first SkyWalker™ assisted TKA, taking the first step in clinical application. Since then, orthopedic experts at the hospital, represented by Director Guo Hongzhang, have continuously explored the field of intelligent robotic clinical application, successfully handling and resolving complex and challenging conditions such as patellar dislocation, flexion contractures, severe medial tibial plateau collapse, and severe varus deformity, achieving excellent results in TKA surgeries. This has propelled the orthopedic diagnosis and treatment at the hospital towards intelligence, precision, minimally invasive procedures, individualization, and accelerated recovery, benefiting numerous patients.

In these 100 surgeries, the stable and precise assistance provided by the SkyWalker™ robot has impressed the experts. Director Guo Hongzhang stated that traditional orthopedic surgeries heavily rely on the personal skills and experience of the surgeon, and any deviation can have irreversible effects on the patient. In contrast, orthopedic robots can operate based on accurate data, assisting surgeons in performing precise surgeries with errors measured in millimeters, making them safer. The accuracy and precision of the robot are significantly superior to traditional surgical methods, allowing us to achieve more accurate implant positions and imaging results.

The SkyWalker™ robot is one of the advanced joint replacement surgical robot systems globally. Clinical data shows that the SkyWalker™ robot's clinical performance in lower limb alignment accuracy, surgical time, blood loss, and postoperative knee joint clinical function evaluation is comparable to internationally renowned brands, making it a shining example of Chinese-developed joint replacement surgical robots. It features a self-developed robotic arm and possesses characteristics of platformization, standardization, precision, and personalization, filling the gap in China's field of joint replacement surgical robots. When faced with complex surgical cases, the SkyWalker™ robot can generate personalized implantation plans based on the patient's physiological and anatomical characteristics, solving traditional challenges of "limited visibility," "inaccurate cutting," and "unstable grip" during surgery. It achieves surgical precision at the "millimeter" level, accurately restores lower limb weight-bearing alignment, restores knee joint stability, eliminates knee joint pain, and reconstructs knee joint function for patients.

Currently, the SkyWalker™ robot has received approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for feasible total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty. It has also obtained approvals and certifications from the U.S. FDA, EU CE, Brazil ANVISA, and Australia TGA for feasible knee arthroplasty. Up to now, the SkyWalker™ robot has been installed in more than 20 hospitals worldwide, including China, the United States, Germany, and has entered clinical application. The cumulative number of surgeries performed has exceeded 900, and several academic studies have been published in authoritative domestic and international journals, demonstrating that the SkyWalker™ robot-assisted TKA has reached an internationally advanced level in terms of surgical accuracy and clinical efficacy. This also indicates that the clinical application of the SkyWalker™ robot is becoming more mature, fully meeting the clinical requirements of orthopedic surgeries, and gaining increasing acceptance and recognition from clinical medical professionals, providing effective support for clinical practice and theoretical research in major hospitals.

Liu Yu, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of MicroPort® MedBot™, commented:

Being the first to complete 100 SkyWalker™ robot-assisted surgeries is a true reflection of Gansu Provincial People's Hospital's commitment to the essence of medical care, bringing advanced orthopedic technology and quality services to the people, and providing minimally invasive, precise, intelligent, and efficient diagnostic and treatment services for patients. On behalf of MicroPort® MedBot™, I extend my highest respect and congratulations to the hospital and all the experts! MicroPort® MedBot™ will continue to work together with the hospital to promote the clinical application of more new technologies and approaches, seek new development, provide healthcare professionals with better innovative tools, and bring more effective, precise, and safe medical services to patients, making surgery easier, safer and less invasive.