Beijing doctors accomplish world’s first ultra-long-distance surgery on a patient in Xizang with help of communication satellite

(Photo/CCTV News)

Chinese doctors based in Beijing recently performed the world's first ultra-long-distance surgery on a liver cancer patient thousands of kilometers away in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, with the help of China's communication satellite.

The APSTAR-6D communication satellite used in the surgery is operated by APT Mobile Satcom Limited (APSAT) and developed by the China Academy of Spacecraft Technology (CAST) under the state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The satellite was launched into orbit in July 2020. It is the first in China's Ku-band global high-throughput broadband satellite communication network, according to the CASC in a press release sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.

The surgery was carried out by an interdisciplinary team comprising the Chinese PLA General Hospital, APSAT, and the CAST. The team overcame challenges such as communication optimization, QoS classification control, and traffic control, realizing that the satellite communication link latency approaches the physical limit. Based on this breakthrough, the team innovatively designed a surgical plan for high-latency conditions, successfully executing the ultra-long-distance surgery by integrating space-to-ground operations across time and space.

Satellite communication technology offers independence from ground infrastructure, resilience to geological disasters, and freedom from geographical and temporal constraints. Its advantages include wider coverage, higher reliability, and quicker deployment.

Such advantages make it particularly suitable for emergency rescue and temporary needs, while also providing a new perspective in terms of medical support in space exploration.

The technology is expected to pave the way for remote surgeries to transition into routine and commercial clinical applications and enable seamless, all-weather global coverage.