Pioneering case: Robot-assisted remote radical distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer based on 5G communication technology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe technical considerations and short-term outcomes of the first officially published robot-assisted remote radical distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer with 5G technology. A 51-year-old gastric cancer patient with clinical stage T2N0M0 underwent 5G-enabled robot-assisted remote radical distal gastrectomy on September 11, 2023 at the Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University. The surgery procedure was successfully performed with an average total intraoperative delay of 225ms, average round-trip delay of 30ms and no packet loss rate. The operative time was 140 min and intraoperative blood loss was 20 ml. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 6 without any postoperative complications. This case has preliminarily verified the feasibility and safety of 5G-enabled robot-assisted remote radical distal gastrectomy for patients with gastric cancer. The initial study fills in the gaps in related fields and lays a solid foundation for subsequent research. To verify its superior operative outcomes, further clinical trials are needed.