Beijing Jishuitan Hospital Completes World's First Reduction Robot-Assisted Pediatric Femoral Shaft Fracture Surgery

Background

Beijing Jishuitan Hospital has pioneered an intelligent fracture reduction surgical robot system developed over ten years by Professor Wu Xinbao's team. This system enables minimally invasive reduction and internal fixation for complex conditions including pelvic fractures, long bone fractures, and metaphyseal fractures. By the time of the reported case, it had been adopted by more than 50 hospitals in 29 provinces across China and used in over 1,000 surgeries. However, no prior clinical applications in pediatric long bone fracture cases had been reported.

Director Yang Zheng leads the hospital's pediatric orthopedics department. In collaboration with Zhao Chunpeng, a chief physician in the trauma orthopedics department and member of the research and development team, efforts were made to evaluate extending this technology to younger patients.

What was achieved

In a pioneering procedure reported on June 15, 2026, the team completed the first known use of a reduction robot to assist in the minimally invasive internal fixation of a femoral shaft fracture in an 11-year-old boy. The child presented with a long oblique fracture line. The surgery involved robot-assisted closed reduction followed by minimally invasive implantation of internal fixation devices.

The procedure was described as stable and controllable throughout. It is reported as the world's first such application of an orthopedic reduction robot in a pediatric long bone fracture case. It demonstrated significantly reduced intraoperative fluoroscopy and lowered the physical burden on the surgeons.

How it works

Femoral shaft fractures occur when the main bone of the thigh breaks, often requiring realignment of the bone fragments, known as reduction, before securing them with internal hardware. Traditional manual methods can involve repeated use of live X-ray imaging, called fluoroscopy, to guide the process, which increases radiation exposure and requires significant physical effort from the surgical team to maintain alignment.

The intelligent robot system uses preoperative imaging assessment. During surgery, image reconstruction provides three-dimensional navigation and positioning. Force control technology assists the robotic system to achieve and maintain stable closed reduction. Once alignment is satisfactory, optimal paths for fixation are planned and internal fixation is completed through minimally invasive incisions. In this case the approach resulted in fewer fluoroscopy exposures and reduced surgeon fatigue.

What it means for international patients

Beijing Jishuitan Hospital maintains a VIP Clinic and International Medical Service Department, which provides services in English, Korean, and Japanese. The hospital is a major center for advanced orthopedic care, including the use of robotic technologies in trauma and pediatric orthopedics. This case illustrates continued innovation in applying such systems to pediatric fracture care.

International patients considering care at the hospital for pediatric orthopedic conditions should directly contact the International Medical Service Department to confirm eligibility for specific procedures, discuss their case with the clinical team, and verify current availability and requirements. Individual medical assessments are required to determine suitability.

About the hospital

Beijing Jishuitan Hospital is a Class A tertiary hospital located in Beijing and affiliated with Capital Medical University. Established in 1956, it was approved in 2022 as the National Center for Orthopaedics. It features national key clinical specialties including orthopedics, hand surgery, burn surgery, and sports medicine, with orthopedics and burn surgery holding high reputations domestically and internationally.

The hospital has substantial experience in robotic orthopedic surgery. By late 2026 its intelligent orthopedic research ward had completed over 6,000 robot-assisted procedures. It operates campuses including Xinjiekou, Huilongguan, and Xinlongze and maintains dedicated international patient services through its VIP Clinic and International Medical Service Department.