China's single-arm laparoscopic surgical robot applied in first human clinical trial

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have completed the First-in-Man (FIM) clinical trial using a single-arm laparoscopic surgical robot in China, according to the Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University.

Based on a large number of animal experiments, research teams from the Beijing Friendship Hospital and the First Hospital of Lanzhou University used a domestically developed surgical robot to perform a single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

A single-port laparoscopic surgery is generally performed in the thoracic or abdominal cavity through a single small incision of two to three centimeters on the surface of the body.

The domestically developed surgical robot uses a unique single-arm technology and is flexible and easy to operate. The high dexterity of the snake-shaped device allows for seven degrees of freedom in a limited space, said Zhang Zhongtao, leader of the research team and a professor at Capital Medical University.

He noted that compared with the conventional multi-port laparoscopic surgery, the single-port surgery is a promising clinical solution thanks to its smaller incision, less invasion of tissues, shorter positioning time and larger positioning space for the robotic system.

Previously, the domestically developed surgical robot assisted clinical experts in many difficult operations, including urologic surgery, general surgery, thoracic surgery and gynecologic surgery, creating vital clinical value.