Recommendations for Emergency Robotic Thoracic Conversions and Intraoperative Resuscitation: A Modified Delphi...

The purpose of this consensus was to determine essential principles and acceptable variations in emergency conversion events in robotic thoracic operations.

A modified Delphi study was performed with 21 expert robotic thoracic surgeons. A pilot round was conducted with 5 experts to test feasibility. Two rounds were conducted between July 2024 and September 2024 with 33 statements rated on 5-point Likert scales. Statements included content across 3 domains: (1) preoperative preparation, (2) emergency undocking and resuscitation in the lateral position, and (3) debriefing. A consensus report was provided to panelists after round 1, and a focus group was held. Content was adjusted between rounds based on feedback from round 1 and the focus group. Consensus was defined as agreement ≥70%.

The response rate was 100%. Consensus was achieved for all preoperative preparation and debriefing statements. Of 19 statements regarding undocking and resuscitation, 16 achieved consensus, and 3 statements (9.1%) in this domain were found to have insufficient agreement at 66.7%. Essential principles that achieved consensus included conversion indications, calling for help, initial tamponade with robotic instruments, conversion using a partial undocking protocol, uninterrupted visualization, and team communication, among others.

The consensus achieved can inform protocols for emergency robotic conversion events in thoracic surgery. The points of disagreement highlight acceptable surgeon- and institution-specific variations.