CUHK performs first robot-assisted pelvic fracture surgeries

Since June, the Chinese University of Hong Kong's orthopaedics team has conducted three successful robotic-assisted pelvic fracture reduction and fixation surgeries.

The three surgeries surgeries were performed at the Prince of Wales Hospital.

About 15% of people suffering from a fragility pelvic facture passes away within a year.

Close proximity of critical neurovascular structure near the pelvic area makes it a complicated and skill-dependent procedure.

With the help of robotic technology, intra-operative blood loss could be reduced to 10 to 20 milliliters, compared to around one litre of blood loss in open procedures.

Hence, the new approach can minimal surgical trauma, requiring only a two-centimetre incision.

The traditional requires 10-centimetre cuts.

They cannot completely rule out the chances of accident, and the doctor performing the operation with its help has to be responsible.

Professor of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at CU Medicine PATRICK YUN: "It's like all the other operations, ultimately the doctor in charge has to be in responsible. Afterall, it's a combination of machine, controlled and and initiated by the medical doctor. It means that it's not controlled by the robot, but the robot help us to facilitate a better surgical outcome."

They are also researching on utilising such AI-integrated robotic technologies in other sectors and hopes to have the opportunity to collaborate with other cross-border institutions.