On August 24, in the operating room of the People’s Hospital of Biru County, Naqu City, a robot-assisted unicompartmental knee replacement surgery was being performed under the guidance of orthopedic expert Nan Shaokui from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital.
Outside the window is the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 4000 meters, while inside, a perfect integration of intelligent medical technology and human skill is taking place. A 70-year-old Tibetan patient lies on the operating table, finally seeing the dawn of recovery after suffering from knee joint disease for over a decade. The orthopedic surgical robot named “Kuntou” assists the doctor in performing critical operations,as the robot’s mechanical arm precisely cuts and polishes, the artificial knee joint prosthesis is implanted with millimeter precision. This surgery, which set three records, was successfully completed — it is not only the highest robot-assisted unicompartmental replacement surgery in China but also the first of its kind in the Tibet Autonomous Region and at the county-level hospital in Tibet.
This medical breakthrough in a high-altitude area is the result of the promotion of the “Technology Volunteer Service in Tibet – Joint Special Capability Enhancement Action”.Under the coordination of the National Clinical Research Center for Orthopedics and Sports Rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to as the “National Orthopedic Clinical Center”),Ningbo Sixth Hospital, as the core technical support unit, received strong support from the Ningbo Working Group of the Zhejiang Provincial Aid to Tibet Command, collaborating with Yuanhua Intelligent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. and the People’s Hospital of Biru County to provide top-notch orthopedic medical services to the people of Tibet right at their doorstep.
On August 24, this action was officially launched. Wang Songjun, Executive Director of the National Orthopedic Clinical Center, stated: “As the national ‘team’ and ‘pioneer’ in the field of orthopedics, the National Orthopedic Clinical Center bears the mission of promoting balanced development in orthopedics across the country and serving the health of the people. This time, we have come to Biru County to bring advanced intelligent orthopedic diagnosis and treatment concepts and technologies, and to ensure they take root and flourish here.”
“Robot assistance has ushered orthopedic diagnosis and treatment in our northern Tibetan region into a new stage of precision and intelligence,” said Huang Zheyu, Deputy Chief Physician of the Joint Surgery Department at Ningbo Sixth Hospital. According to reports, the “Kuntou” orthopedic surgical robot can intelligently plan the optimal surgical path through a three-dimensional skeletal model, with the mechanical arm’s operational precision reaching sub-millimeter levels, fully adapting to the unique environment of low oxygen, low pressure, and low temperature at high altitudes, effectively avoiding deviations that may occur in traditional surgeries, significantly reducing surgical trauma and infection risks.
This surgery is not only a technical breakthrough but also continues the deep medical assistance friendship between Ningbo and Tibet. When the northern Tibetan Plateau meets intelligent technology, and Zhejiang’s experience is integrated with Tibet’s realities, a story about health and hope is vividly unfolding on the roof of the world.
Source: Tibet DailyEditor: Zhou Hui Chief Editor: Yuan SenReview: Shao Jiabin Chief: Yang Chen
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