5G technology turns operating room into a classroom for surgeons

Surgery, conducted in a hospital in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, is connected live to a remote hospital in northern Guangdong with the help of 5G technology, April 1, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A hospital in Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong province, launched chest surgery with the help of 5G technology on Monday, the first time in the province.

The operation, connected live to another hospital in northern Guangdong's remote Yangshan county, promoted the use of advanced 5G technology in medical practice.

The surgery, led by Wang Wenlin, a chest surgery expert at the Guangdong Provincial Second People's Hospital, was seen as a demonstration for doctors at the hospital in Yangshan.

"A growing number of hospitals in China have been inviting me to give instructions in chest surgery. With the help of 5G technology, the surgery technology will help more doctors and hospitals launch similar operations," Wang said.

Wang visited 28 hospitals last year, helping doctors with surgery for chest deformities via his latest invention in treating a deformity called funnel chest. 
Also on Monday, the hospital in Yangshan joined hands with doctors in Guangzhou to perform pelvicfracture surgery with the help of 5G technology communications.

Before the surgery on Monday, the Guangdong Provincial Second People's Hospital had signed a cooperation agreement with China Telecom Corporation Limited and Huawei Technologies Co to build a smart medical service system.

"In the future, we will offer more medical practices online with the help of the 5G technology, in remote demonstrations of surgeries," said Tian Junzhang, president of the Guangdong Provincial Second People's Hospital.