Two high-precision robot-assisted surgeries have been successfully performed in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, marking the first-ever such operations for patients referred from Macao via the newly launched Hengqin-Macao joint specialist outpatient clinics.
Under the collaboration mechanism of the joint specialist outpatient clinics—initially covering pulmonology and infectious diseases—eligible Macao patients can be directly referred from Conde de São Januário General Hospital to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University Hengqin Hospital for advanced treatment.
One of the successful procedures was performed on a 79-year-old Macao patient diagnosed with lung cancer. The elderly patient failed to respond to multiple conventional therapies and was unfit for general anesthesia due to several underlying chronic conditions.
Traditional open surgery was deemed extremely risky for the case, as the lesion was located adjacent to the trachea and major cardiac blood vessels, according to Chen Yanwei, chief surgeon at the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.
"With precise robotic planning, the puncture is made from bottom to top, reaching the lesion accurately with one single stick," Chen explained.
The patient safely underwent the minimally invasive procedure under local anesthesia and has achieved a favorable postoperative recovery.
The surgical robot used in the operations is independently developed in Hengqin, with its core R&D team based in Macao, embodying the integrated medical innovation strengths of Macao and Hengqin.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | The Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government
