Background In the context of disaster medicine or combat casualty care, forward medical treatment facilities often lack the necessary equipment, devices, or space to perform definitive surgical procedures to complex trauma. Extending advanced medical technologies to the frontline battlefield and rapidly deploying the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of rear-area specialists to forward medical units are crucial measures for effectively enhancing the capability to treat combat injuries and reducing trauma-related mortality and disability.

Objective To explore the breakthroughs and application prospects of remote robot-assisted interactive surgical technology based on a multi-link aggregation transmission system within the operating module of a containerized hospital surgical team.

Methods The relevant technical indicators of the first closed reduction and internal fixation surgery for femoral neck fracture, which was performed via remote robot-assisted interactive surgery within the operating module of a containerized hospital surgical team on December 20, 2024, were analyzed. These indicators included the latency of the remote surgery, the time taken for screw placement, and the intraoperative blood loss.

Results A 51-year-old male patient with fracture of the right femoral neck due to a traumatic injury was operated precisely by frontline doctors relying on expert tele-guidance, tele-planning and tele-surveillance. The remote center was established at a Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital (network communication distance: 2 652 km), and the surgical procedure was performed via closed reduction and minimally invasive screw fixation for femoral neck fracture. The overall total delay of the surgery was 85 ms, with no packet loss. The expert remote planning took 10 minutes; the robotic system assisted in the insertion of three screws, with an average time of 10 minutes per screw. The intraoperative blood loss was 10 mL, and intraoperative fluoroscopy confirmed satisfactory reduction. The patient did not experience postoperative complications such as incision infection.

Conclusion A remote robot-assisted interactive surgical procedure for fracture trauma is achieved for the first time in a containerized hospital setting. This system, built upon a multi-link aggregation transmission platform, integrates various information systems within the containerized hospital, enabling comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of the wounded and thereby improving the overall effectiveness of medical care.