Robotic liver approach facilitates one-month quality of life restoration before surgery

The integration of robotic systems in liver surgery has evolved significantly, necessitating an evaluation of their impact on surgical outcomes and patient quality of life.

This study aims to analyze the effect of the Da Vinci Xi robotic system on the recovery of quality of life in patients undergoing liver surgery.

A prospective study was conducted involving patients who underwent robotic liver surgery between October 2021 and February 2023. Socio-demographic, clinical, and quality of life data using the SF-36 questionnaire were collected. Variables were assessed preoperatively and at one and four months post-surgery.

The robotic surgery group exhibited enhanced bodily pain scores at one month postoperatively (55.3 vs. 38.4, p = 0.014). Comparison of preoperative and one-month postoperative scores indicated similar health outcomes in the robotic group alongside improved self-reported health (39.2 vs. 32.2, p = 0.045). Conversely, the open surgery group experienced declines in physical function, bodily pain, vitality, social function, and physical component scores. At four months, the robotic group demonstrated marked improvements in physical role, social function, mental health, self-reported health, and mental component scores.

Our findings suggest that robotic surgery facilitates a more favorable recovery in quality of life, with patients returning to pre-surgery levels of well-being by one month postoperatively, in contrast to the outcomes associated with open surgery.