Benefits Of Robotic-assisted Surgery Research Articles

The role of robotic-assisted surgery in the management of rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rectal cancer poses a significant global health burden. There is a lack of concrete evidence concerning the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) for rectal cancer surgery as compared to laparoscopic and open techniques. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the intraoperative, postoperative, and safety outcomes of robotic surgery in this context. MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Cochrane library were searched till May 2023 for randomized and non-randomized studies comparing robotic surgery with either laparoscopic or open approach for rectal cancers. The outcomes of interest were operative time, blood loss, harvested lymph nodes, conversion rate, postoperative hospital stay, survival to hospital discharge, urinary retention rate, and anastomotic leakage rate. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to pool means and dichotomous data to derive weighted mean differences and odds ratios, respectively. A total of 56 studies were shortlisted after the study selection process with a total of 25,458 rectal cancer patients. From the intraoperative outcomes, RAS was significantly associated with an increased operative time (WMD: 41.04, P<0.00001), decreased blood loss (WMD: -24.56, P<0.00001), decreased conversion rates (OR: 0.39, P<0.00001), lesser stay at the hospital (WMD: -1.93, P<0.00001), and no difference was found in lymph nodes harvested. Similarly, RAS group had a significantly greater survival to hospital discharge (OR: 1.90, P=0.04), decreased urinary retention rate (OR: 0.59, P=0.002), and no difference was seen in anastomotic leakage rate. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) demonstrates favourable outcomes for rectal cancer patients, contributing to global prevention and control efforts, health promotion, and addressing non-communicable disease risk factors. Further research and public awareness are needed to optimize RAS utilization in this context.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery for complex pediatric surgical conditions.

Robotics has been used safely and successfully in a variety of adult surgeries and is gradually gaining ground in pediatrics. While the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery in disease treatment are well recognized, its high cost has led to questions. To investigate whether robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) is cost-effective compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery (LS) in pediatric surgery, we attempted to construct a model to perform an analysis of these two surgical approaches using Python statistical analysis software. We selected four common complex pediatric surgical conditions (choledochal cyst, Hirschsprung's disease, vesicoureteral reflux, and congenital hydronephrosis) from three systems (pediatric hepatobiliary, gastroenterology, and urology). Models were constructed using Python statistical software to compare hospital costs and surgical outcomes for RALS and LS. In addition, we performed a preferred strategy analysis for both surgical modalities while assessing model uncertainty using one-way sensitivity analysis. For the four diseases, the operative time decreased sequentially. The total inpatient costs of RALS were 10,816.72, 9145.44, 8414.29, 7973.58 dollars, respectively, yielding 1.789, 1.712, 1.749, 1.792 quality adjustment life years (QALYs) over two years post-operatively. The incremental cost of RALS relative to LS for each disease was 3523.44, 3200.20, 3049.79, 3043.66 dollars, respectively, with an incremental utility of 0.060, 0.054, 0.051, 0.050 QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for RALS for each of the four diseases were 58,724.01, 59,262.95, 59,799.79, 60,873.20 dollars/QALY, all less than 100,000 dollars/QALY. The cost of robot consumables was the main incremental cost of RALS and had the most significant impact on the model. For the four pediatric surgical conditions described above, RALS has higher inpatient costs than LS, but it has better postoperative outcomes, and all four RALS treatments are cost-effective. Children with complex diseases and long operative times appear to benefit more from RALS.

Roboticky asistovaná léčba zhoubných nádorů kolorekta a hepatopankreatobiliární oblasti

Summary: Introduction: The Czech Republic belongs to countries under significant strain due to malignant tumours. Despite the changes introduced in the therapy of gastrointestinal malignancies, radical removal of the tumour holds a crucial position in the mutimodal therapeutic process and is irreplaceable nowadays. From the beginning of the third millennium, minimally invasive surgery of abdominal tumours is being expanded with robotic-assisted procedures. The aim of this paper is to assess the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery in the treatment of colorectal and hepatopancreatobiliary neoplasms and to present the results of a non-randomized study with prospectively collected data from robotically assisted rectal cancer surgeries. Material and method: The authors summarize studies published in the PubMed, EMBASE, Medline and Cochrane Library databases that compare robotic and laparoscopic approaches in the treatment of colorectal and hepatopancreatobiliary malignancies, and present the results of their own non-randomized study. 204 patients with rectal cancer (&lt;15 cm from the anal verge) who underwent robotic-assisted surgery at our department between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020 were included in the study. All demographic, clinical and oncological data were prospectively obtained and analysed. The data were analysed using descriptive statistic methods. Results: 204 patients with rectal cancer of whom 138 were men and 66 were women underwent robotic surgery at our department during the five-year period. In 97 (47.5%) cases the disease was dia­gnosed in an advanced stage (stage III and IV of the TNM classification). 18 patients had synchronous liver metastases and 2 patients had pulmonary metastases at the time of the dia­gnosis. The liver-first approach was indicated in 8 (44.4%) patients, two patients underwent a radical resection of liver lesions together with the primary neoplasm in one surgery. Total mesorectal excision was performed in 136 patients with extraperitoneal disease, partial mesorectal excision was performed in 68 cases. 18 complications were documented. Clinically relevant anastomotic leak requiring intervention occurred in 5 (3.6%) cases. One patient died due to decompensation of chronic toxonutritive liver disease. Local recurrence was documented in 6 patients, half of them underwent radical resection. Conclusion: Surgical therapy holds a crucial position in the treatment of colorectal and hepatopancreatobiliary neoplasms and represents the only potentially curative procedure in multimodal therapy. Robotic-assisted therapy has become a routine therapeutic modality for colorectal and hepatopancreatobiliary malignancies worldwide. Da Vinci assisted surgeries prevail in the surgical treatment of rectal cancer at the authors’ workplace as well as at some foreign centres. Compared to open and laparoscopic resections of rectal carcinoma, robotic-assisted operations achieve the same clinical and oncological results with a lower rate of complications. Key words: robotic surgery – colorectal cancer – liver malignancies – pancreatic carcinoma

Robotic Assisted Surgery: The Gap Between Challenges And Solutions

A roboticist by the name of Rodney Brooks once said, “the benefits of having robots could vastly outweigh the problems.” While this may be true, it is important to assess these problems and understand how they may be mitigated. The use of robots is growing in many industries and can be found in areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, food preparation and national defense. Within healthcare, robots are commonly used in surgery to perform procedures such as sacrocolpopexies, prostatectomies, hysterectomies, hernia repairs and nephrectomies. The benefits of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) are similar to laparoscopy and include decreased blood loss, faster recovery time, and shorter lengths of stay at the hospital. Unlike purely laparoscopic surgery, the robot provides wrist dexterity, allowing for more complex surgeries to be performed in a minimally invasive fashion by surgeons who may not have expertise in laparoscopy. However, recent reports have heightened challenges facing RAS operating room (OR) teams. Effects of the OR layout, team communication, team coordination, disruptions to workflow, and equipment malfunctions were among the issues observed in a variety of RAS procedures. Issues such as disruptions to the workflow trigger delays and inefficiencies, which in turn could affect patient safety and quality of care. As part of a wider study to implement and evaluate multiple interventions associated with improving efficiency and safety of RAS, a literature search was conducted to investigate issues experienced by the OR team in RAS and the interventions developed and tested to resolve these issues. The literature search excluded studies concerned with laparoscopic and open surgery; proficiency training; and articles that were not written in English. Commentaries, editorials, and abstracts were further excluded. At the conclusion of the literature search, 17 articles involving the implementation or evaluation of interventions surrounding RAS were evaluated and categorized based on the issues that were addressed. Seven articles discussed disruptions to the OR team’s workflow; five articles discussed issues with patient safety, surgical complications, or risk assessment; three papers discussed issues with teamwork; and the remaining articles discussed issues with communication, efficiency, cognitive load, and surgical performance. Despite the number of articles that were found to discuss issues in RAS, only four of the 17 articles implemented interventions. The interventions primarily included the use of checklists and nontechnical skills training. The scarce number of articles focusing on interventions aimed at improving the safety, quality, and efficiency of RAS demonstrates the wide gap that exists between known problems and potential solutions. As the number of robotic-assisted procedures continue to grow, it is important to improve OR team efficiency and patient care. The current study is part of a five-year, four-site study investigating the nature of issues that exist in RAS. The larger study will also design and implement interventions based on RAS observations conducted by the researchers in an effort to ensure that the benefits of robotic surgery truly do outweigh the existing problems.

Evolving experience of operating theatre staff with the implementation of robotic-assisted surgery in the public sector.

Objectives The use of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) remains predominantly in the private sector. In the public sector, the effect of the implementation of RAS on theatre staff is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of theatre staff before and after implementation of RAS in the public sector. Methods In all, 250 theatre staff, including nursing, medical and support staff, were invited to participate in the study. A survey investigating the benefits of RAS for patients and staff, concerns towards the workplace environment and facilitators towards the implementation of new technology was administered before (June 2016) and after (February 2019) the implementation of a comprehensive RAS program. Results The survey was completed by 164 (65.6%) staff before and 200 (80.0%) staff after the implementation of RAS. With time, most nursing (P=0.002) and medical staff (P=0.003) indicated that RAS may benefit patients by reducing intraoperative complications, whereas support staff remained uncertain about this benefit (P=0.594). Before the implementation, most medical staff indicated that RAS would benefit staff, although after they were unsure about this benefit. Overall, before RAS implementation, theatre staff were mostly concerned about workplace safety, but this concern was significantly reduced after RAS implementation (P<0.010). Conclusions With time, operating theatre staff considered their RAS program to be associated with enhanced benefits to patients, and their concerns regarding workplace safety were significantly reduced. Conversely, theatre staff were unsure about the benefits of RAS to themselves. It is important for organisations to consider the evolving impact of new technology on their staff and to refine ongoing education and training programs in line with these changes. What is known about the topic? The implementation of RAS is rapidly evolving in major hospitals. Therefore, it is important to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of operating theatre staff before and after the implementation of RAS, especially in the public sector. What does this paper add? This study found that with time theatre staff considered RAS to be beneficial to patients, and their initial concerns about the effect on workplace safety were significantly reduced. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for organisations to consider the evolving impact of the implementation of new technology on operating theatre staff and to refine ongoing education and training programs as required.

Development of cooperative robot-assistant surgery system for vitreoretinal microsurgery and its feasibility test in an animal model

Background Robotic systems are increasingly utilized in numerous disciplines including ophthalmology.Several reports showed potential benefits of robotic-assisted surgery, such as increased precision and dexterity, elimination of tremor, task automation and shortening of learning curve.However, there is still no relative report in China. Objective The present study was to develop a novel robotic-assisted vitreoretinal microsurgery system and assess its overall capacities. Methods A robotic-assisted vitreous and retinal microsurgery system was cooperatively built by Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and Beijing University of Aeronautics.This platform has two mechanical arms, end-effector of each can grip common instruments such as vitrectomy cutter, illumination probe, laser probe, 23-gauge intraocular forceps.The intraocular surgical tasks were performed assisted by surgical robot on 15 fresh in vitro porcine eyes by three interns to test the feasibility of performing pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Vitrectomy steps consisted of preparing three 23-gauge scleral incisions, inserting vitreous cutter towards vitreous and retina via the incisions, and using vitreous cutter to induce and remove a PVD assisted with triamcinolone.The duration and the successful completion of the task with or without complications or involuntary events was assessed. Results PPV and PVD procedures were successfully finished on 15 porcine eyes, and no noted deformation of eyeballs during surgery and no iatrogenic complication such as retinal tear or retinal detachment occurred after operations, with the successful rate 100%.The mean duration of surgery was (12.76±3.44) minutes among the 15 eyeballs and the mean duration for each operator was (13.67±4.23), (10.83±2.30) and (13.77±1.91) minutes, respectively. Conclusions Robotic-assisted vitreoretinal microsurgery system is varified to have good stability and accuracy in intraocular surgery, and the robotic surgical system may be technically feasible to preform human manual PPV and PVD procedures. Key words: Robotic surgical procedures; Robotics/instrumentation; Surgery, computer-assisted/methods; Vitrectomy/methods; Feasibility studies; Swine

Robotic-assisted Versus Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

To compare safety and costs of robotic-assisted and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. Technical benefits of robotic-assisted surgery are well documented. However, pressure is currently applied to decrease costs, leading to restriction of development, and implementation of new technologies. So far, no convincing data are available comparing outcome or costs between computer assisted and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A prospective case-matched study was conducted on 50 consecutive patients, who underwent robotic-assisted cholecystectomy (Da Vinci Robot, Intuitive Surgical) between December 2004 and February 2006. These patients were matched 1:1 to 50 patients with conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy, according to age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, histology, and surgical experience. Endpoints were complications after surgery (mean follow-up of 12.3 months [SD 1.2]), conversion rates, operative time, and hospital costs (ClinicalTrial.gov ID: NCT00562900). No minor, but 1 major complication occurred in each group (2%). No conversion to open surgery was needed in either group. Operation time (skin-to-skin, 55 minutes vs. 50 minutes, P < 0.85) and hospital stay (2.6 days vs. 2.8 days) were similar. Overall hospital costs were significantly higher for robotic-assisted cholecystectomy $7985.4 (SD 1760.9) versus $6255.3 (SD 1956.4), P < 0.001, with a raw difference of $1730.1(95% CI 991.4-2468.7) and a difference adjusted for confounders of $1606.4 (95% CI 1076.7-2136.2). This difference was mainly related to the amortization and consumables of the robotic system. Robotic-assisted cholecystectomy is safe and, therefore, a valuable approach. Costs of robots, however, are high and do not justify the use of this technology considering the lack of benefits for patients. A reduction of acquisition and maintenance costs for the robotic system is a prerequisite for large-scale adoption and implementation.

Minimizing Movement Time in Surgical Telerobotic Tasks

Surgical robotic devices are rapidly achieving widespread use and acceptance. Despite the many benefits of robotic-assisted surgery, it is typical for robot-assisted procedures to take longer. This study investigates the effect of control:response ratio on simple movement time in surgical telerobotic tasks. Robot control interfaces offer “motion scaling”settings but, in practice, this feature is often not used effectively, and is confounded by factors such as the fulcrum point of the laparoscopic instrument. Results using a simple aimed movement task indicate that control:response ratio indeed has a large effect on movement time, and further that it interacts with task difficulty. These results can guide medical device designers and the developers of surgical training protocols.