China: AI-powered robot assists in first clinical cardiac surgery

Doctors at the People's Liberation Army General Hospital in China have performed a world-first clinical application of an AI-equipped ultrasound robot for a minimally invasive cardiac procedure.

The operation, led by Zhu Hang, targeted a 48-year-old male with an atrial septal defect, a malformation where an abnormal opening exists between the heart's two atria. Due to the patient's specific anatomy, traditional catheter interventions were deemed difficult, and open-heart surgery had been recommended by several institutions.

Instead, the medical team utilized a catheter-introduced occlusion device guided by a robotic system. The robot features a robotic arm capable of autonomous movements to acquire ultrasound images. AI algorithms then analyze these images to identify the malformation, delineate its boundaries, and reconstruct a real-time three-dimensional representation of the heart. This technology aims to solve the challenge of maintaining a stable ultrasound probe during complex procedures, which is often hindered by manual manipulation, fatigue, or imprecise angles.