Two concomitant robot-assisted procedures in one anesthesia session: our experience

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of two concomitant robot-assisted procedures in the same patient in one anesthesia setting.

Data were reviewed for 15 patients for whom two concomitant robot-assisted surgeries at our center were planned. Preoperative details, port position, intraoperative problems encountered, surgical and anesthesia time, blood loss, complications, hospital stay, and postoperative recovery were analyzed.

Fifteen patients underwent two concomitant robot-assisted procedures; at least one of the two surgeries was a urologic procedure. The second procedure added <50 mL of blood loss. Surgical time was increased by 58 minutes and 30 minutes in cases in which the primary procedure involved the upper and lower urinary tract, respectively, while anesthesia time was increased by 82 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. There were no added complications during the second procedure, and hospital stay was not increased, being limited only by the first procedure.

Planned robot-assisted surgery for two different operations is feasible in one anesthesia session, thereby reducing cost and overall hospital stay for the patient without any increased risk of perioperative morbidity. The decision to continue with the second procedure depends on the successful completion of the first procedure in a reasonable time and without any complications.