Complications Have Not Improved With Newer Generation Robots

Retrospective cohort study.

The purpose of this study was to see whether upgrades in newer generation robots improve safety and clinical outcomes following spine surgery.

All patients undergoing robotic-assisted spine surgery with the Mazor X Stealth Edition^TM (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) from 2019 to 2022 at a combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine service were retrospectively reviewed. Robot related complications were recorded.

264 consecutive patients (54.1% female; age at time of surgery 63.5 ± 15.3 years) operated on by 14 surgeons were analyzed. The average number of instrumented levels with robotics was 4.2 ± 2.7, while the average number of instrumented screws with robotics was 8.3 ± 5.3. There was a nearly 50/50 split between an open and minimally invasive approach. Six patients (2.2%) had robot related complications. Three patients had temporary nerve root injuries from misplaced screws that required reoperation, one patient had a permanent motor deficit from the tap damaging the L1 and L2 nerve roots, one patient had a durotomy from a misplaced screw that required laminectomy and intra-operative repair, and one patient had a temporary sensory L5 nerve root injury from a drill. Half of these complications (3/6) were due to a reference frame error. In total, four patients (1.5%) required reoperation to fix 10 misplaced screws.

Despite newer generation robots, robot related complications are not decreasing. As half the robot related complications result from reference frame errors, this is an opportunity for improvement.