[China Tech] Yueyang Hospital Wins Approval for Futuristic Hand Rehab System

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A non-invasive brain-muscle-machine system for rehabilitating hand function, developed by Shanghai Yueyang Hospital, has obtained the innovative medical device registration certificate.

It marks the first registration certificate of its kind ever issued in the neurorehabilitation field in Shanghai.

The device is designed to help patients gradually restore and improve hand motor function following accidents or neurological disorders such as stroke.

Medical teams from the hospital said they will keep improving the brain-muscle-machine rehabilitation system, aiming to expand its use in clinics and enhance how well it connects the brain and computer.

"Our department plans to launch a specialized BCI rehabilitation clinic to provide targeted services for recovering hand function in patients needing neurorehabilitation," said Dr Wu Jiajia, vice director of the hospital's rehabilitation medicine department.

"Each patient will receive a comprehensive professional assessment, based on which we will formulate a personalized rehabilitation strategy. Most patients will achieve significant functional improvements after two weeks of intensive training. Previous clinical trials have demonstrated that many patients can perform independent hand movements and active behavioral control after only three to five days of training with this device.

"The rehabilitation program is also available for expatriate patients, who can visit our international medical department," she added.

We have established formal collaboration with Shanghai's medical teams since 2024, and our professional strengths and technical expertise have been highly complementary and fully integrated ever since.

Professor Paolo Maria Rossini, director of the department of neuroscience and neurorehabilitation at IRCCS San Raffaele in Italy

The device uses non-invasive scalp electrodes to pick up brain signals, changes those signals from electroencephalogram (EEG) into electromyography (EMG) signals, and then translates brain activity into movements that can control the hands.

Hospital researchers created this innovative rehabilitation model by combining advanced brain-computer interface (BCI) and neuromodulation technologies with traditional acupuncture and meridian theories from Chinese medicine, making it the first system of its kind in the world.

Shanghai Yueyang Hospital houses the National Center for TCM Rehabilitation and the Engineering Research Center for Intelligent TCM Rehabilitation, both dedicated to the research and development of advanced rehabilitation technologies through the deep integration of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.

As announced at the Shanghai International Forum on Advanced Neurorehabilitation Technologies held over the weekend, Yueyang Hospital is leading an international multi-center neurorehabilitation research initiative in partnership with world-leading overseas institutes and top-tier domestic hospitals.

The partnership focuses on clinical treatments for brain rehabilitation, assessing their effectiveness and predicting outcomes, aiming to share TCM-based brain rehabilitation therapies with the world and help more patients with brain disorders.

Professor Paolo Maria Rossini, director of the department of neuroscience and neurorehabilitation at IRCCS San Raffaele in Italy and former president of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, spoke highly of the breakthrough achievements made by Shanghai medical experts and the in-depth bilateral cooperation between Shanghai and his research institute.

"We have established formal collaboration with Shanghai's medical teams since 2024, and our professional strengths and technical expertise have been highly complementary and fully integrated ever since. The Chinese research team focuses on the in-depth analysis of electromagnetic brain activity in patients with chronic neurological disorders, including major conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease," he noted.

This integrated research approach has greatly enriched the theoretical and clinical system of neurorehabilitation. It helps us understand the main problems behind neurological diseases and allows for personalized rehabilitation that focuses on these issues, which is a key and valuable direction in modern rehabilitation medicine, he added.

"We are committed to sustaining this in-depth scientific cooperation and friendly academic exchange with our Shanghai counterparts. The local rehabilitation research team has demonstrated world-leading academic and clinical capabilities, and its research outcomes have been fully incorporated into international clinical practice guidelines," Rossini said.

For consultations

Contact the International Medical Department of Shanghai Yueyang Hospital at 021-55982333 or intl.dept@shyueyanghospital.com

Address: No. 110 Ganhe Rd, Hongkou District (虹口区甘河路110号)