Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

An experienced Chinese medical team on Friday successfully completed a groundbreaking remote robotic surgical operation at a frontier practical conference.

Led by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) academician Zhang Xu, also the urology department director at the Third Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, the Chinese medical team carried out the operation simultaneously in Rome, capital of Italy and Beijing, capital of China.

The two places are about 8,100 kilometers apart, with the two-way communication distance exceeding 20,000 kilometers.

While Zhang was skillfully operating a self-developed remote surgical robot in Rome, in an operating room of the Third Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, the surgical robot received remote information instructions from Zhang and executed them precisely on a prostate cancer patient to remove the lesion. "The biggest problem with a remote surgery is communication -- whether there is any delay. During today's surgery, there was almost no delay, and it was almost the same as an on-site surgery," said Zhang.

"To me, it was a really, a historical experience, a historical moment. The fact that he was able to do it in Rome makes us very, very happy," said Vito Pansadoro, chairman of Challenges in Laparoscopy, Robotics and AI, the frontier field conference.

Zhang said that the remote surgery is a systematic innovation brought about by the cross-integration of new technologies and new concepts, and is of great significance for remote treatment in future battlefield environments and disaster-stricken areas.

In the next step, China will apply the research direction to military field medical services to better protect officers and soldiers stationed in remote areas, according to Zhang.

"Through the remote surgery, we can project the most advanced medical resources to the front line in real time," Zhang said.

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Flood control and disaster relief teams are stepping up efforts in Piaohe Township, Jiaohe City, in northeast China’s Jilin Province as Typhoon Bavi moves northward, bringing intense rainfall across the region.

Typhoon Bavi, the ninth of the year, made landfall twice along the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province at 23:20 Saturday and again around midnight, then moved inland. It is the second typhoon this month following Typhoon Maysak, which brought heavy floods and wreaked havoc in southern China.

Piaohe Township, located in the southeastern part of Jiaohe City, is among the hardest-hit areas. The township is particularly vulnerable due to converging water flows from the upstream Baishishan and Pihe River basins. To cope with the heavy downpour, more than 440 emergency personnel in the township have been deployed to prevent flood and evacuate residents from affected areas to safer locations.

The continuous rainfall has pushed water levels of Piaohe and Qingbei rivers flowing through the township to exceed warning thresholds, posing dangers of flash floods, landslides, and mudslides.

"We have activated 24-hour duty shifts, with inspections of rainfall conditions and potential hazards conducted every two hours. We are making effort to evacuate residents along the Piaohe River and Qingbei (river) basins to ensure their safety," said Zhang Peng, secretary of the Communist Party of China branch of Piaohe Township.

According to the Jiaohe City's Flood Control and Drought Relief Department, the cumulative rainfall in the City has reached 156.7 mm as of 15:00 on Tuesday.

Local authorities have coordinated efforts across multiple departments to promptly inspect and repair damaged roads and embankments, aiming to minimize the risk of river flooding.

Northeast China's Jilin steps up flood control as Typhoon Bavi brings heavy rain

Northeast China's Jilin steps up flood control as Typhoon Bavi brings heavy rain