On January 17, reporters from Hubei Daily and Changjiang Daily came to Wuhan Half the Sky for an interview. They conducted a three-hour exclusive interview with Qiu Xuewen, General Manager of Wuhan Half the Sky, regarding the innovation and breakthrough of Half the Sky’s radiofrequency ultrasound scalpel. They also published an article on the official website of Hubei Daily, “A 2-hour surgery reduced to 30 minutes!” Chinese-made radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel breaks import dependence”. China.com, People.com, China.com, Guangming.com, and Economic Daily also reported on this.
The following is a reprint of the article——
“The 2-hour surgery was reduced to 30 minutes!”
Chinese-made radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel breaks dependence on imports”
Hubei Daily all-media reporter Liu Jie correspondent Wang Qiong Tian Yaolin
Ultrasound scalpel is a commonly used medical instrument in surgery. It has cutting and hemostatic functions and is widely used in gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, urological, thoracic, gynecological and other surgical operations.
For a long time, domestic surgical ultrasonic scalpels have been almost monopolized by imported brands. “Imported equipment is expensive and a burden to hospitals and patients. We must make our own products and do them better than foreign countries.” On January 22, Qiu Xuewen, general manager of Wuhan Half the Sky Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Wuhan Half the Sky Medical”), recalled the original intention of research and development.
Hard work pays off. At the end of 2023, Wuhan Half the Sky Medical obtained the registration certificate for the first radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel system in China that outputs dual energy at the same time and can close blood vessels with a diameter of 7 mm. It broke the foreign technology monopoly, and some of its performances surpassed foreign products, achieving a major breakthrough in technological innovation in the domestic medical device industry.
Determined to: Make a more advanced radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel
Ultrasonic scalpel is not a “knife” in the traditional sense. Instead, it uses high-intensity mechanical vibration to cut off tissue and play the role of a “knife.” At the same time, the high temperature generated by the mechanical vibration coagulates blood vessels to stop bleeding.
However, in some major surgeries, ultrasonic scalpel cannot close blood vessels with larger diameters, and hemostatic devices are needed. In previous surgeries, doctors had to alternately use ultrasonic scalpels and hemostatic instruments, which was a cumbersome process, took a long time, and carried risks of bleeding and infection. To this end, domestic and foreign medical companies have targeted clinical pain points and “combined” ultrasound and radio frequency technologies into one, and radio frequency ultrasonic scalpel came into being.
For many years, domestic radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel technology has been stuck in the “5 mm” era, while foreign equipment has reached the “7 mm” level.
“A foreign machine costs hundreds of thousands, and it requires constant purchase of consumables, which is very costly.” Qiu Xuewen said that as one of the earliest high-tech medical device companies in China to engage in independent research and development of ultrasonic scalpels, Wuhan Half the Sky Medical must break through the predicament and make more advanced radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpels.
Research and development: “Stupid” way to create ideal materials
Why is the distance of 2 mm so insurmountable?
Qiu Xuewen introduced that if you want to coagulate and close blood vessels with a larger diameter, you need higher radiofrequency energy, and radiofrequency energy is electrical energy. When the energy is high, it is easy to “ignite” the high-speed vibrating ultrasonic knife, causing the knife rod to break.
In order to increase radio frequency energy and ensure that the ultrasound system is not interfered with, the technical route needs to be redesigned.
Changing the shape of the blade, adding a protective film, adjusting the energy output method, integrating an intelligent feedback system… After trying a variety of methods, the R&D team finally determined the optimal solution. “Every day I use knives with different parameters to cut pork belly and record cutting time, results and other data. The laboratory smells of burnt paste. I didn’t want to eat barbecue in those years.” Qiu Xuewen said.
Testing, destroying, testing again, destroying again… it took the R&D team three years to figure out the appropriate parameters and finally produce the ideal radiofrequency ultrasound scalpel.
In a corner of the company, the reporter saw mountains of tools and materials. “These are all for experimental testing. There should be tens of thousands of them.” Qiu Xuewen introduced.
Coming out: some performances are better than similar international products
At the end of 2023, Wuhan Half the Sky Medical successfully developed my country’s first 7 mm high-frequency ultrasound dual-output surgical system and obtained the national Class III medical device registration certificate.
“Foreign products, some have one host and two cutter heads, and some have two hosts and one cutter head. Ours has one host and one cutter head, cutting and coagulating at the same time, which is more convenient and safer. According to clinical verification by major hospitals, the comprehensive performance exceeds similar foreign products.” Qiu Xuewen introduced.
Professor Chen Zhaohui, Chief Physician of the Department of Urology at Union Hospital Affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology, after using this radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpel to perform a laparoscopic radical resection of bladder cancer, commented: “It only took us 30 minutes to remove the entire bladder. This should be the fastest speed you can see. The total blood loss was less than 20 ml, and there was no need to use hemostatic clips and other energy platforms, which saved both time and cost.” Under normal circumstances, a radical resection of bladder cancer takes more than 2 hours.
Professor Chen Zhaohui and Half the Sky General Manager Qiu Xuewen took a group photo
In addition, compared with similar international products, the cost and price of domestic radiofrequency ultrasonic scalpels have dropped significantly.
Currently, Wuhan Half the Sky Medical’s ultrasonic scalpel products have been deployed in more than 800 hospitals in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country, and are exported to overseas regions such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, South America, Southeast Asia, India, and Israel, and the international market continues to expand.
