Research shows that robotic surgery is safer and reduces patient recovery time by 20%

2024-01-23

Research from University College London and the University of Sheffield shows that robot assisted bladder cancer resection and repair surgery can make patients recover faster and significantly reduce hospital stay.

Robot surgery, also known as robot assisted surgery, enables surgeons to perform various complex surgeries in a more precise, flexible, and controllable manner than traditional methods. Robot surgery is usually related to minimally invasive surgery, which involves surgery performed through small incisions. It is also occasionally used in certain traditional open surgical procedures.

The most common clinical robotic surgical system includes a camera arm and a robotic arm with surgical tools attached. When the surgeon sits in front of a computer table next to the operating table, he controls the robotic arm. The console provides surgeons with an enlarged, high-definition 3D view of the surgical site. A first clinical trial led by scientists from University College London and the University of Sheffield found that the use of robot assisted surgery to remove and reconstruct bladder cancer can make patients recover faster and significantly reduce the length of hospital stay (20%).

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on May 15th, funded by the Champnis Foundation. It also found that robotic surgery reduced the chances of readmission by half (52%) and showed a staggering four fold (77%) reduction in the incidence of thrombosis (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) compared to patients undergoing open surgery, which is a significant cause of health decline and morbidity. The patient's endurance and quality of life have also improved, and their physical activity has increased, measured by the daily steps recorded on wearable smart sensors.

Open surgery involves surgeons working directly on patients and making large incisions on the skin and muscles. Unlike this, robot assisted surgery allows doctors to remotely guide minimally invasive tools using a console and 3D views. It is currently only available in a few hospitals in the UK. Researchers say these findings provide the strongest evidence to date of the benefits of robot assisted surgery for patients, and they are now urging the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) to promote it as a clinical option across the UK for all major abdominal surgeries, including colorectal, gastrointestinal, and gynecological procedures.

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