Department of Urology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, China.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300000, China.
Surg Endosc. 2024 Mar;38(3):1592-1599. doi: 10.1007/s00464-023-10585-x. Epub 2023 Dec 26.
Network latency is the most important factor affecting the performance of telemedicine. The aim of the study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a novel network latency management system in 5G telesurgery.
We conducted 20 telesurgery simulation trials (hitching rings to columns) and 15 remote adrenalectomy procedures in the 5G network environment. Telemedicine Network Latency Management System and the traditional "Ping command" method (gold standard) were used to monitor network latency during preoperative simulated telesurgery and formal telesurgery. We observed the working status of the Telemedicine Network Latency Management System and calculated the difference between the network latency data and packet loss rate detected by the two methods. In addition, due to the lower latency of the 5G network, we tested the alert function of the system using the 4G network with relatively high network latency.
The Telemedicine Network Latency Management System showed no instability during telesurgery simulation trials and formal telesurgery. After 20 telesurgery simulation trials and 15 remote adrenalectomy procedures, the p-value for the difference between the network latency data monitored by the Telemedicine Network Latency Management System and the "Ping command" method was greater than 0.05 in each case. Meanwhile, the surgeons reported that the Telemedicine Network Latency Management System had a friendly interface and was easy to operate. Besides, when the network latency exceeded a set threshold, a rapid alarm sounded in the system.
The Telemedicine Network Latency Management System was simple and easy to operate, and it was feasible and effective to use it to monitor network latency in telesurgery. The system had an intuitive and concise interface, and its alarm function increased the safety of telesurgery. The system's own multidimensional working ability and information storage capacity will be more suitable for telemedicine work.
网络延迟是影响远程医疗性能的最重要因素。本研究旨在评估新型网络延迟管理系统在 5G 远程手术中的可行性和疗效。
我们在 5G 网络环境中进行了 20 次远程手术模拟试验（将吊环系到立柱上）和 15 次远程肾上腺切除术。使用远程医疗网络延迟管理系统和传统的“Ping 命令”方法（金标准）监测术前模拟远程手术和正式远程手术期间的网络延迟。我们观察远程医疗网络延迟管理系统的工作状态，并计算两种方法检测到的网络延迟数据和丢包率之间的差异。此外，由于 5G 网络的延迟较低，我们使用具有较高网络延迟的 4G 网络测试了系统的警报功能。
远程医疗网络延迟管理系统在远程手术模拟试验和正式远程手术过程中均未显示不稳定。在 20 次远程手术模拟试验和 15 次远程肾上腺切除术之后，远程医疗网络延迟管理系统监测到的网络延迟数据与“Ping 命令”方法之间的差异的 p 值在每种情况下均大于 0.05。同时，外科医生报告说，远程医疗网络延迟管理系统具有友好的界面，易于操作。此外，当网络延迟超过设定阈值时，系统会发出快速警报。
远程医疗网络延迟管理系统简单易用，用于监测远程手术中的网络延迟是可行且有效的。该系统具有直观简洁的界面，其警报功能提高了远程手术的安全性。该系统自身的多维工作能力和信息存储能力将更适合远程医疗工作。
