Perioperative patient care involved with robotic-assisted bariatric surgery

Abstract

Background: The use of robotic-assisted bariatric surgery has recently gained an increased amount of positive reception. In this paper, we share our experiences with robotic-assisted bariatric surgery in hopes of increasing the surgical team members’ (such as surgical residents, circulators, scrub technicians and surgical assistants) abilities to understand the setup of the room, the positioning of patients, and intraoperative planning & duties concerning patient’s care and the surgical procedure itself. Methods: From 2009 to 2015, there were 409 patients who underwent robotic-assisted bariatric surgery by a single bariatric surgeon and his team. Of the 409 procedures, 288 were Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and 121 were vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). Of the patients involved their average age was 47.4 and BMI was 53.9 kg/m2. Results: The average operating room times (includes 60–80 mins of anesthesia time and patient positioning time) were 247.7 minutes on RYGB and 142.6 minutes on sleeve gastrectomy. There have not been any complications concerning the patients. Only four patients were converted to open. On average, the post-op hospital stay was 3.7 days. Conclusions: The robotic-assisted bariatric surgery is safe and feasible as opposed to an open approach despite it requiring a greater operative timespan. After understanding the procedures, room setup, intra-op patient’s care and teamwork, the robotic approach should be an ability all bariatric surgeons should possess.