Surgeon’s smart assistant, “robotic surgery” gets supplementary commercial medical insurance coverage

It has the advantage of faster recovery than traditional open surgery and laparoscopic surgery, and can achieve the same surgical treatment prognosis as traditional open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. As surgical robot systems continue to be used in clinical settings to assist surgeons in performing precise surgeries, more and more patients are benefiting from this new surgical technology.

Recently, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center held the 2023 "Salute to Excellence" standardized minimally invasive surgical treatment live broadcast week event. Senior surgical experts from the hospital used robotic surgery demonstrations to promote standardized minimally invasive surgical treatment of tumors in an online live broadcast, attracting 500,000 viewers.

In order to increase the popularity of surgical robots, this event has added new links such as "Public Test Drive Education" and "Excellence Center Visit" so that more people can understand it. Liu Zhuowei, deputy director of the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, said that more and more cities have implemented supplementary commercial medical insurance to cover costs related to robotic surgery, which has improved the accessibility of this new surgical technology.

Unlike traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon who uses advanced surgical robot-assisted surgery does not stand next to the patient, but sits in front of the surgeon's console. Precise surgery can be achieved by operating the handles and pedals on the console. Using naked-eye 3D technology, the surgeon can three-dimensionally observe the location of the surgical target area on the field of view frame in front of the console. Professor Liu Zhuowei said that the instrument arm of the surgical robot can rotate 720 degrees, which has great advantages in precise tumor removal and functional reconstruction of muscles and tissues. The instrument arm can also increase the stability of the operation and reduce the physical exertion of the surgeon.

It is reported that since the center launched a new artificial intelligence surgical robot-assisted system in 2016, it has completed more than 7,000 surgeries in head and neck, thoracic, liver and gallbladder, gastrointestinal, urological, gynecological and other tumor surgeries, with a volume of surgeries of Ranking among the top in Guangdong Province.

However, this technology has been limited in clinical promotion due to problems such as difficulty in operation, high risks and insufficient training. In July 2022, the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center was approved to become the first international training center for surgical robots in South China - the "Robot-Assisted Surgery Technology Training Base". The center is set up in Zhongzhuang Huangpu Campus and has trained more than 20 people so far. The chief surgeon, as well as many assistant physicians who are familiar with robotic surgery. Doctors can obtain internationally recognized surgical qualifications through training at the center without having to travel abroad for training. ”

Compared with traditional surgery, the cost of consumables related to surgical robot-assisted surgery is relatively high at this stage and is not yet included in the scope of medical insurance payment. "Some sister cities have begun to include the cost of robotic surgery for some types of diseases into medical insurance, and in Pearl River Delta cities such as Guangzhou, supplementary commercial medical insurance such as Suisuikang can also provide protection."

The surgical robots currently used in many hospitals are imported surgical instruments. This is the view of Professor Liu Zhuowei. Many domestically produced surgical robots are already on the market, and their operating efficiency and effects are comparable to imported instruments.

Interviewed and written by: Nandu reporter Wang Daobin and intern Yang Jiayan

Correspondents Chen Jun, Zhao Xianting, Zheng Minshan

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