(Yicai) July 15 -- Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital carried out the world’s first commercial brain-computer interface implant surgery on July 13, four months after a domestically developed system received regulatory approval to go to market.

Intraoperative tests showed that the Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Hand Motor Function Compensation System, developed by Shanghai-based NeuX Medical Technology, successfully collected stable, high-quality epidural electroencephalogram signals and the patient’s vital signs remained stable after the procedure, according to the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

The system was given the green light to go to market by the National Medical Products Administration on March 13, making it the world’s first commercially available implantable BCI medical device. Its launch marks the official entry of invasive BCI medical devices into clinical practice.

The patient who underwent the surgery suffered spinal cord injuries in a car accident 10 years ago, resulting in impaired hand-grasping ability and a limited capacity for self-care, according to the commission. After screening and evaluation by a multidisciplinary team of experts at Huashan Hospital, the patient became the first person in the world to receive a commercial BCI implant surgery.

Following implantation, the NEO system collects and decodes epidural EEG signals to identify the patient’s movement intentions. It then establishes a communication pathway between the brain and external assistive devices, helping restore hand-grasping functions and improving the patient’s ability to perform daily activities independently.

As clinical adoption expands, standardized technical training for medical teams continues and payment support mechanisms improve, the technology is likely to be available at more medical institutions, a Shanghai government official said.

To reduce patients’ financial burden, Huahui Bao, a city-specific supplementary commercial medical insurance program backed by the Shanghai municipal government and underwritten by multiple insurers, has included BCI implant consumables under its special coverage program. Policyholders can receive compensation equivalent to 30 percent of eligible consumable costs, with an annual cap of CNY150,000 (USD21,450).

Shanghai’s medical insurance regulators said they will continue monitoring clinical applications of the device, collect feedback from hospitals and patients, and use real-world clinical data to refine reimbursement policies for BCI implantation procedures.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor