ASSISTED by the O-arm imaging system and a domestically developed orthopedic surgical robot, the Southern University of Science and Technology Hospital recently completed a minimally invasive surgery for a patient who had suffered multiple fractures to the pelvis, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

The surgery was the first of its kind in South China, said the hospital.

The patient, surnamed Zhou, was injured by falling heavy objects when he was working on the construction site. After being sent to the emergency department of the hospital, he was found to have as many as 32 fractures in his whole body and was suffering from hemorrhagic shock.

Zhou’s vital signs recovered after a multidisciplinary consultation and rescue, but he required urgent surgical treatment due to multiple pelvic fractures.

Ren Ping, director of the hospital’s orthopedic department, believed that a conventional surgery would be physically intolerable to Zhou, as it would take a long time and cause excessive bleeding from the incisions. A minimally invasive treatment and limited internal fixation were the optimal surgical procedures.

On Dec. 20, the hospital performed a minimally invasive surgery on the patient by utilizing the O-arm imaging system and a domestically developed surgical robot called Tinavi, or Tianji in Chinese.

The surgery was a complete success, according to the hospital. Each of the four small incisions was only one centimeter in length and the patient lost only 20 milliliters of blood during the operation.

Zhou is currently recovering well and plans to undergo a thoracic surgery in the next stage.

According to the hospital, it has successfully completed more than 40 robot-assisted operations so far.

(Zhang Yu)