On July 13, the first prescription following the registration approval of an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) system for hand motor functional compensation was written in Shanghai, with the world's first implantation surgery successfully completed at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University.
Intraoperative testing demonstrated that the epidural electroencephalogram signals captured by the system were stable and of high quality. The patient’s post-operative vitals are currently stable.
Moving from its registration approval on March 13 to real-world clinical application just four months later, this cutting-edge technology—once confined to laboratories and clinical trials—has now officially become an established clinical treatment pathway for eligible patients.
Severe spinal cord injuries often lead to hand motor function impairment, a condition where medication and conventional rehabilitation methods still face limitations.
The patient who underwent the surgery suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident 10 years ago, which impaired their hand-grip function and limited their ability to live independently. After undergoing standardized rehabilitation, their recovery had reached a plateau.
By capturing and decoding epidural EEG signals to identify motor intentions, the implanted system establishes an information pathway between the brain and external functional compensatory devices. It is expected to assist in restoring hand-grip function and improving the patient's ability to care for themselves.
As the medical institution leading this global first prescription, Huashan Hospital provided the crucial real-world setting needed to transition this frontier technology into clinical practice.
In parallel, the hospital facilitated equipment onboarding, patient screening, and pre-operative assessments, ultimately paving the way for this first successful implantation.
As clinical applications expand, standardized training progresses, and payment security mechanisms improve, this innovative technology is expected to reach more medical institutions. It brings new hope to spinal cord injury patients seeking to regain motor function and independence, while further clarifying Shanghai's path toward becoming a global source of innovation and debut destination for brain-computer interfaces.