Evaluation of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping in robot-assisted laparoscopic liver resection

Abstract

Objective: To evalutate the safety and efficacy of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping robot-assisted laparoscopic liver resection. Methods: All data about 24 patients with robotic liver resection at Hepatic Surgery Center,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology between February 2015 and December 2017 were collected and analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups based on different methods to decrease central venous pressure. Eight patients(6 males and 2 females,aged 49 years(range:50 to 56 years)) were applied with infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping,and the other 16 matched cases (15 males and 1 female,aged 53 years(range:38 to 69 years)) were categorized into lowering central venous pressure group. Intraoperative blood loss,blood transfusion,intraoperative hemodynamic parameters,postoperative complications,and renal function were compared by t-test,non-parametric test,χ2 test,or Fisher exact test. Results: There was significantly difference in the intraoperative blood loss between the infrahepatic vena cava clamping group and the lowering central venous group(200(220) ml (range:100 to 400 ml) vs. 750(800) ml (range:100 to 2 000 ml),Z=‒2.169,P=0.030). The clamping time of portal triad and infrahepatic inferior vena cava were 24 (18) minutes and 29 (20) minutes in the infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping group, and portal triad clamping time was 23 (23) minutes in the low central venous group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (Z=‒0.323, P=0.747). There was no intraoperative blood transfusion in the infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping group, and 5 cases in the low central venous group, with a transfusion volume of 1.5(1.5)U. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (Z=‒3.353, P=0.001). However, the mean arterial pressure in the infrahepatic vena cava clamping group decreased from (88.6±4.9) mmHg to (67.4±3.8) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), which was lower than that of lowering central venous group (72.4±3.3) mmHg (t=2.315,P=0.003). And there were no significant differences related to postoperative complications rate or hepatic and renal function in both groups. Conclusion: The infrahepatic inferior vena cava technology is safe and feasible to decrease central venous pressure during robotic liver resections,which will not affect the recovery of hepatic and renal functions.