by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | December 16, 2024
The da Vinci system in use for a lung transplant Photo courtesy of NYU Langone
A massive meta-analysis published in the Annals of Surgery highlights the advantages of robotic surgery using the da Vinci surgical system across seven oncological procedures when compared to laparoscopic and open surgical methods.
The study, which spanned 12 years and included 230 studies from 22 countries, represents data from over a million procedures, making it one of the most comprehensive analyses in this area.
The research, conducted by scientists from Intuitive, the maker of the da Vinci system, and Massachusetts General Hospital, reviewed randomized controlled trials, prospective studies, and database analyses. It evaluated 30-day surgical outcomes, finding significant benefits for robotic surgery in areas such as reduced conversion rates, blood loss, transfusion requirements, hospital stays, and postoperative complications.
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The researchers found several key advantages:
- A 56% lower likelihood of conversion to open surgery compared to laparoscopy.
- A 21% reduction in blood transfusion needs versus laparoscopy, and 75% versus open surgery.
- A 10% decrease in 30-day postoperative complications compared to laparoscopy, and 44% versus open surgery.
- Hospital stays were shorter by half a day compared to laparoscopy and nearly two days compared to open surgery.
However, the analysis also noted longer operative times for robotic procedures—on average 17.7 minutes longer than laparoscopic surgery and 40.9 minutes longer than open surgery.
While the analysis focused on perioperative outcomes, it did not assess long-term oncologic results.
“The data presented in our study describes the value of robotics in both the controlled clinical setting of randomized controlled trials and in the ‘real-clinical-world’ of population-based studies,” said Dr. Rocco Ricciardi, lead study author and chief of colon and rectal surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Ultimately, demonstrating population-based gains with robotics allows us to determine value of robotic procedures for the average person who might need surgery.”
