Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Single Surgeon's Experience with 527 Consecutive Patients

Robotic bariatric surgery is increasingly adopted by surgeons. We present the surgical results of 527 consecutive patients who underwent robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) using the standard technique.

A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was performed including 527 consecutive patients who underwent robotic RYGB between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2021.

The mean age of the patients was 41 years, with a male/female sex distribution of 143/384 (27.1%/72.9%). Type 2 diabetes in the pre-operative period was diagnosed in 31% of patients. The median pre-operative body mass index (BMI) was 44.6 kg/m² (range, 35-64). The mean operation time was 134 min for robotic RYGB, including the docking process. Early (< 30 days) complications included ileus (0.2%), atelectasis (0.2%), thromboembolic (0.2%) events, and surgical-site infection (0.2%). No leakage or bleeding of the gastrojejunal and jejunojejunal anastomoses were recorded. Oral food intake was begun at 1.8 days on average. The average hospital stay was 2 days. Despite a range of BMI values, operation times and gastrojejunal anastomosis times did not show significant differences. There were no significant differences in mean operation time or mean gastrojejunal anastomosis time over the years.

The robotic approach is effective and safe for patients undergoing RYGB. This technique provides satisfactory results with short-term surgical outcomes. However, the real benefits of robotic RYGB should be further evaluated by well-conducted randomized trials. Even in difficult cases with higher BMI values, optimal operation times and similar operative efficiency can be obtained if a standard operation technique is applied.