“The world’s first AI ultrasound robot-guided interventional surgery for congenital heart disease was successful”

On the morning of September 5, 2026, the Cardiovascular Disease Department of the Sixth Medical Center of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, in collaboration with a team from Tsinghua University, successfully performed the first interventional occlusion surgery for congenital heart disease under artificial intelligence ultrasound robot guidance worldwide. The operation was led by the team led by Director Zhu Hang. The independently developed AI ultrasound robot system was used to perform autonomous scanning, lesion identification, 3D modeling, and path planning, breaking through the technical limitations of traditional interventional robots, which could only deliver instruments. The patient was a 48-year-old man with a marginal condition atrial septal defect, making it a highly challenging minimally invasive case. During the operation, the AI system provided precise navigation throughout the process, and the occluder was successfully implanted, significantly improving the safety and reproducibility of treatment for such complex cases.