HIFU Medical Conducts World's First Cross-Provincial 5G Remote Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery with Participation from Nearly 150 Hospitals
On March 7, 2022, the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering and the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound Medicine, in collaboration with the International Society for Focused Ultrasound Surgery and 147 hospitals worldwide, launched Haifu®Minimally Invasive and Non-Invasive Treatment Center, held in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area with the theme of“Technology Empowerment，Caring for Women” of the 3rd Global Multi-center Remote Collaborative Uterus-Preserving Public Welfare Campaign (hereinafter referred to as the “Public Welfare Campaign”), which provides remote collaboration to assist women suffering from uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, and other conditions in undergoing “non-invasive” focused ultrasound ablation surgery.
Among them,The World’s First Interprovincial 5G Remote Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery Debuts at This Public Welfare Event。The device used in the surgery is the “Haifu Knife,” developed and manufactured by Haifu Medical.
According to available information, Haifu Medical, established in 1999, is a national high-tech enterprise and a provider of medical devices and comprehensive solutions. The company is dedicated to integrating basic research, equipment development, manufacturing, clinical protocols, training support, marketing, and after-sales services in the field of focused ultrasound therapy.
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) leverages the favorable physical properties of ultrasound, such as tissue penetrability and focusability, to precisely converge numerous low-intensity ultrasound beams emitted from outside the body onto target tissues within. At the focal point, the acoustic intensity is amplified tens of thousands of times, instantly generating temperatures of 65–100°C. By harnessing the thermal, cavitation, mechanical, and sonochemical effects of focused ultrasound, HIFU induces irreversible coagulative necrosis in the target tissue, thereby achieving rapid, precise, and non-invasive treatment.
To date, there are 152 independent clinical indications for which HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) ablation has been approved or is currently under investigation, including uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, placenta accreta, breast cancer, breast fibroadenoma, and primary liver cancer.
At the event site,Lang Jinghe, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Honorary Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College HospitalIt indicates that minimally invasive and non-invasive techniques, represented by focused ultrasound ablation, have promoted the humanization and minimal invasiveness of clinical surgical treatment, showcasing new prospects for modern humanistic medicine.
Currently, as a representative of minimally invasive techniques,HIFUThe devices have been deployed across most provinces and municipalities in China and have expanded globally, gaining market access in 41 countries and regions. Surgeries performed using the Haifu Knife device have surpassed 210,000 cases worldwide. Focused ultrasound has thus showcased Chinese technology, Chinese manufacturing, and Chinese standards to the world. Moving forward, international cooperation should be strengthened to achieve common progress and benefit humanity.
David Cranston, Professor at the University of Oxford and President of the International Society for Focused Ultrasound SurgeryIt indicates that, compared with conventional surgery, focused ultrasound ablation surgery offers equivalent efficacy, causes less damage to the uterus, and is more conducive to postoperative pregnancy.
Professor Zhu Lan, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Doctoral SupervisorIt was stated that research findings jointly released by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Chongqing Medical University, and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association have confirmed that focused ultrasound ablation for the treatment of uterine fibroids is no less effective than traditional surgery, with significantly superior safety. This minimally invasive approach significantly alleviates symptoms, improves patients’ quality of life, substantially shortens hospital stays, and reduces medical costs, demonstrating broad prospects as a treatment modality for uterine fibroids.
Professor Wang Zhibiao, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medical Engineering and the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound MedicineIndicates: Focused ultrasound has been included in the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Medical Equipment Industry" issued by ten departments. Meanwhile, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Haifu Knife®The focused ultrasound tumor treatment system has reached an internationally advanced level, establishing China as a major global manufacturing base for medical equipment. We will continue our public welfare campaign for uterine preservation, raising awareness among more physicians that, beyond saving lives and healing the wounded, they should alsoWe should actively engage in health maintenance and disease prevention, thereby “treating diseases and saving lives” from a different perspective, and continue to safeguard the uteri of more women worldwide in the future.
Professor Wang Zhibiao
In 2021, the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound Medicine, Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Chongqing Weihai Software Development Co., Ltd., and China Mobile Chongqing jointly applied for the “5G + Healthcare Application Pilot Project” organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Health Commission. The specific project topic was the development of a remote treatment system based on 5G and focused ultrasound ablation technology.
Supported by China Mobile’s 5G network in Chongqing, the team led by Professor Chen Wenzhi, Chief Medical Expert at Chongqing Haifu Hospital and affiliated with the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medicine, remotely connected via the Global Collaborative Service Center for Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery to the Haifu unit at Beiliu Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Guangxi.®The HIFU Knife at the Minimally Invasive Therapy Center®Focused Ultrasound Tumor Treatment System: In collaboration with the medical team of Beiliu Maternal and Child Health Hospital, the world’s first cross-provincial 5G remote focused ultrasound ablation surgery was performed on a patient. The procedure, spanning over 1,000 kilometers, was successfully completed in approximately 20 minutes.
Professor Chen Wenzhi stated: “China’s original focused ultrasound ablation surgery is a non-invasive procedure that leaves no wounds and causes no bleeding. The entire treatment can be performed simply by operating a mouse. With the support of 5G low-latency technology and coordination with local medical staff, the surgery can be carried out smoothly.”
On that day, during the public welfare activities, Haifu from 147 hospitals worldwide®The Minimally Invasive and Non-invasive Treatment Center connects experts from different locations for a cross-regional synchronized live broadcast of surgical procedures. Specialists in the field of minimally invasive and non-invasive therapies analyze typical gynecological cases, provide treatment recommendations, and monitor surgical progress in real time through the Global Collaborative Service Center for Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery.
According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 2021, the Global Collaborative Service Center for Focused Ultrasound Ablation Surgery had partnered with more than 200 Haifu®The Minimally Invasive and Non-invasive Treatment Center has provided technical support for the diagnosis and treatment of over 40,000 patients through its remote consultation services. In 2021 alone, the center established connections with multiple domestic and international hospitals in Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria, Mexico, and other countries, providing technical support for more than 14,000 patient cases.
The concept of minimally invasive and non-invasive medicine advocates for minimizing iatrogenic harm to patients during disease treatment. It is based on local therapies that maximize the preservation of tissue and organ integrity, fully mobilize the patient’s inherent disease-resistant capabilities, and restore and reconstruct the self-organizing functions of the human body’s healthy state, thereby achieving true physical and mental well-being. This represents the broader significance of minimally invasive and non-invasive medicine, extending beyond clinical diagnosis and treatment to influence human civilization. Focused ultrasound ablation technology is a prime practitioner of this medical paradigm.
Currently, Haifu Medical has established a distinctive development model characterized by close collaboration and coordinated innovation among industry, academia, research, and clinical application in the field of focused ultrasound therapy. In the era of digital medicine, Haifu Medical continues to enhance its advanced technological capabilities by leveraging institutions such as the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Medicine, the National Engineering Research Center for Ultrasound Medicine, and Chongqing Medical University. Focusing on high-intensity acoustics and acoustic effects, multimodal imaging monitoring and intelligent precision therapy, as well as clinical research and big data in ultrasound therapy, Haifu Medical persistently advances technological innovation and talent development in both the diagnosis and treatment aspects of focused ultrasound therapy.
To date, the Haifu Knife with China's fully independent intellectual property rights®The focused ultrasound tumor treatment system has been exported to 28 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, and is applied in more than 300 medical institutions domestically and internationally, such as Churchill Hospital at the University of Oxford in the UK and Bonn University Hospital in Germany. By the end of 2021, focused ultrasound ablation technology had surpassed 210,000 clinical cases worldwide, preserving the uteri of tens of thousands of women and enabling successful childbirth for over a thousand women.