The 105th annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery was held in Seattle, USA from May 3 to 6, 2025. As one of the world’s oldest and most influential academic conferences in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, this conference attracted over 2,000 experts and scholars from more than 60 countries to jointly discuss the latest technologies and research achievements in the field. Professor Ling Yunpeng’s team from the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Peking University Third Hospital (PKUTH) was invited to deliver four keynote speeches at the conference, showcasing China’s breakthrough progress in minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting to the world.

　　The clinical research achievements of Ling Yunpeng’s team on robot-assisted minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting have attracted widespread attention. The technical system of “robotic arm artery collection + microscopic direct vision anastomosis” proposed by the team has shortened the time of complex multiple bypass surgery to 3 hours, and the relevant teaching videos have been played more than 500,000 times on international professional platforms.

　　After 13 years of clinical optimization, “the China protocol of minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting with a small incision on the left chest” proposed by Ling Yunpeng’s team has freed 90% of bypass patients in PKUTH from thoracotomy trauma, shortened the average postoperative hospital stay by 40%, and increased the 5-year survival rate to 91.2%. This technical system has been incorporated into the diagnosis and treatment norms of many countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, marking the China’s transformation from technology introduction to solution output in this field. In addition, the QFR three-dimensional hemodynamic evaluation system established by the team optimizes the revascularization strategy for coronary heart disease through non-invasive coronary functional assessment, providing a new paradigm for precisely formulating surgical strategies.

　　In the future, Ling Yunpeng’s team of PKUTH will continue to deepen the integration and innovation of robotic surgery and AI, and promote minimally invasive technology to benefit more patients.

　　Written by: Lang Lang

　　Edited by: Liu Xin

　　Source: PKUTH