Cardiopulmonary collapse in the wake of robotic surgery

Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the da Vinci Surgical System in 2000, robotic surgery is becoming increasingly popular in the operating room. Despite its popularity and proposed benefits, robotic surgeries encompass many complications that are often confounded by the patient's physiology and comorbidities. This article illustrates a case study of a patient who underwent a da Vinci ureterectomy. The case study will highlight the implications and complications that may arise with pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg positioning, and an overview of the current literature in robotic surgery will be presented.