Paediatric surgery in the robotic era: early experience and comparative analysis

Area of Science:

• Surgical Technology
• Minimally-Invasive Surgery
• Robotic Surgery

Background:

• Minimally-Invasive Surgery (MIS) is an established surgical approach.
• The da Vinci Xi® System represents an advancement in robotic surgical technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present preliminary experience with the da Vinci Xi® System.
• To conduct a comparative analysis between robotic surgery and conventional MIS.
• To evaluate the safety and feasibility of robotic surgery in a clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 40 robotic procedures (da Vinci Xi® System) from February 2016 to October 2017.
• Comparison with a matched cohort of 112 conventional MIS procedures.
• Analysis of demographic, diagnosis-procedure, and short-term outcome parameters.

Main Results:

• Robotic surgery group: average age 143.5 months, weight 42.9 Kg, operative time 116.8 min, anesthesia induction 34.8 min, length of stay 6.1 days, conversion rate 2.5%, no complications.
• No statistical difference in length of stay, conversion rates, or complications between robotic and conventional MIS.
• Conventional MIS showed statistically shorter operative times.

Conclusions:

• Robotic surgery, using the da Vinci Xi® System, demonstrates comparable safety and feasibility to conventional MIS.
• The introduction of robotic surgery into the surgical environment is supported by these findings.
• Further investigation into operative efficiency may be warranted.