Robotic telesurgery: current status, risk characteristics, and safety implementation framework
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Research Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital (General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command), Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China

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R61

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    Abstract:

    With advances in communication technologies and surgical robotics, telerobotic surgery has gradually evolved from early feasibility demonstrations to exploratory clinical application. The implementation of fifth-generation mobile communication, dedicated networks, and low-Earth-orbit satellite communication has significantly improved the real-time performance and stability of remote manipulation, providing an essential technical foundation for cross-regional surgical practice. In recent years, China has accumulated growing experience in this field, with exploratory applications based on domestically developed robotic platforms across multiple surgical specialties, preliminarily demonstrating the feasibility and safety of telerobotic surgery. However, compared with local robotic surgery, telerobotic surgery presents distinct challenges, including communication uncertainty, dual-team coordination, emergency management of intraoperative complications, and limitations in current training systems. In addition, most available evidence is derived from case reports or small series, and the quality of evidence as well as the boundaries of clinical indications remain unclear. This article reviews the current technological and clinical progress in telerobotic surgery, analyzes its operational characteristics and risk structure, summarizes a safety-oriented implementation framework covering preoperative assessment, intraoperative safety control, complication management, and postoperative quality management, and discusses the major challenges for its standardized implementation.

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SUN Han, CAI Zhongliang, JI Wu. Robotic telesurgery: current status, risk characteristics, and safety implementation framework[J]. Chin J Gen Surg,2026,35(2):376-383.
DOI:10.7659/j. issn.1005-6947.250671

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History
  • Received:November 26,2025
  • Revised:February 15,2026
  • Adopted:
  • Online: April 09,2026
  • Published: