Step-by-step roadmap to building a robotic acute care surgery program (RACSP) in a level I trauma center: outcomes and lessons learned after 1-year implementation

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgical techniques have demonstrated superior outcomes across various elective procedures. Laparoscopic surgery (LS) is established in general surgery with laparoscopic operations for acute appendicitis and cholecystitis being the standard of care. Robotic surgery (RS) has been associated with equivalent or improved postoperative outcomes compared with LS. This increasing uptake of RS in emergency general surgery has encouraged the adoption of robotic acute care programs across the world. The key elements required to build a sustainable RS program are an enthusiastic surgical team, intensive training, resources and marketing. This review is a comprehensive layout elaborating the step-by-step process that has helped our high-volume level I trauma center in establishing a successful robotic acute care surgery program.