Collaborative Implementation of Robotic Surgery Into an Academic Pediatric Surgery Practice.

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery
• Robotic Surgery

Background:

• Pediatric surgeons can benefit from robotic technology's precision in confined operative fields.
• A collaborative model implemented robotic surgery in an academic pediatric practice.
• Robotic cholecystectomy (RC) outcomes were compared to laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and safety of implementing robotic surgery in pediatric patients.
• To compare the quality outcomes of robotic cholecystectomy versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
• To assess the impact of a tiered case progression and expert collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of 14 months of system development and training.
• Analysis of 24 months of collaborative operative experience with tiered case progression.
• Univariate analyses comparing outcomes between laparoscopic cholecystectomy and robotic cholecystectomy.

Main Results:

• 36 robotic operations were performed in pediatric patients (aged 8-18).
• Procedures included cholecystectomies and various complex surgeries.
• No significant differences were found between LC and RC in procedure duration, opioid use, readmission, or surgical site infections.

Conclusions:

• Robotic surgery shows potential to enhance pediatric surgical procedures.
• Robotic cholecystectomy demonstrated equivalence to laparoscopic cholecystectomy with theoretical pediatric benefits.
• The pilot program confirmed the safety and feasibility of pediatric robotic surgery, emphasizing stepwise progression and expert collaboration.