Team-based recovery from unexpected events beyond bleeding control in robot-assisted thoracic surgery

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Surgical Robotics
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) offers enhanced precision but is susceptible to unique unexpected events.
• Current protocols primarily focus on bleeding control, leaving a gap in managing other critical intraoperative incidents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a practical recovery protocol for non-bleeding events during RATS.
• To enhance patient safety and surgical team preparedness for unforeseen circumstances in robotic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Development of a structured protocol based on representative non-bleeding events.
• Key steps include: Stop Call, patient-side safety confirmation, verbal sharing, reassessment, and team consensus before restart.
• Protocol addresses events like visual loss, equipment malfunction, and robotic arm interference.

Main Results:

• The proposed protocol provides a systematic approach to managing diverse non-bleeding events.
• It emphasizes clear communication, safety checks, and timely decision-making, including conversion to open surgery when necessary.
• Facilitates safe resumption of RATS after event resolution.

Conclusions:

• A standardized recovery protocol is crucial for managing non-bleeding events in RATS.
• Implementing this protocol can improve patient outcomes and surgical workflow.
• Enhances the safety and reliability of robotic thoracic procedures.