Improving Operating Room Efficiency of Robotic-Assisted Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Through Standardization

Area of Science:

• Bariatric Surgery
• Surgical Technology
• Operating Room Management

Background:

• Robotic-assisted (RA) surgery in metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) faces controversy due to cost and efficiency concerns.
• Standardizing surgical approaches is a potential strategy to address these efficiency issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a standardized surgical approach on operating room efficiency in robotic-assisted metabolic and bariatric surgery (RA-MBS).

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of MBS cases (October 2017-October 2022) before and after implementing a standardized approach (SA).
• Outcome variables included operation time (OT), turnover time (TT), wheels in-wheels out (WW), and console time (CT).
• Procedures were categorized into Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and revisional bariatric surgery (RBS).

Main Results:

• For RYGB, SA significantly reduced OT, TT, and WW.
• For SG, SA significantly reduced TT.
• For RBS, SA significantly reduced OT, TT, WW, and CT.

Conclusions:

• A standardized surgical approach enhances operating room efficiency in RA-MBS.
• This standardization leads to reduced operation length and turnover times for primary RYGB and revisional procedures.
• Turnover time for primary sleeve gastrectomy procedures was also significantly improved.