Chinese doctors conduct 5G-assisted remote ultrasound scan

GUANGZHOU - Doctors in a hospital in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou conducted on Monday an ultrasound scan for a patient 60 km away using 5G wireless technology.

During the 20-minute scan, three doctors in Guangzhou First People's Hospital operated via a 5G network a robotic arm that performed the ultrasound scan for a patient in a hospital in Guangzhou's Nansha district, and monitored the whole process through large screens in front of them.

The Guangzhou branch of China Unicom, a telecommunications operator, provided technical support to the remote ultrasound scan.

With the advantages of high transmission speed and low latency, 5G technology can solve the problem of time lag in audio and video online transmission, according to technicians with China Unicom.

Cao Jie, president of Guangzhou First People's Hospital, said his hospital plans to promote the application of 5G technology into more medical scenarios, including distant medical consultation, distant surgery instruction and emergency response.