Robot-assisted general surgery is safe during the learning curve: a 5-year Australian experience

Abstract

Robot-assisted general surgery has become increasingly common in the Australian public sector since 2003. It provides significant technical advantages compared to laparoscopic surgery. Currently, it is estimated that the learning curve for surgeons starting off with robotic surgery is complete after 15 cases. This is a retrospective case series, following the progress of four surgeons with minimal robotic experience over 5 years. Patients undergoing colorectal procedures and hernia repairs were included. 303 robotic cases were included in this study, 193 colorectal surgeries and 110 hernia repairs. 20.2% of colorectal patients experienced an adverse event and 10.0% of hernia patients had a complication. The learning curve was correlated to the average docking time, and it was found that this was complete after 2 years, or after a minimum of 12 to 15 cases. Patient length of stay decreases as surgeon experience increases. Robotic surgery is a safe approach to colorectal surgery and hernia repairs with some potential benefits in terms of patient outcomes as surgeon experience increases.

Global trends and prospects in health economics of robotic surgery: a bibliometric analysis

“…Over 10 million robotic surgeries have been performed 3 . These surgeries cover many disciplines, including general surgery 4 , 5 , urology 6 , 7 , gynaecology 8 , 9 , and cardiothoracic surgery 10 , 11 . Despite COVID-19, the revenue of Intuitive Surgical companies increased by 28% in 2022 compared with 2021 2 , owing to the benefits of robotic surgery, including high-resolution three-dimensional vision, elimination of hand tremors, and a comfortable operating environment 12 , 13 .…”