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Abstract Aim To describe our centre’s experience in establishing a robotic programme for general and colorectal surgery procedures. Method Data from a prospectively maintained database were collected for all robotic-assisted procedures carried out in our centre since the procurement of the robotic platform. Results 38 cases were completed with the DaVinci Xi (Intuitive Surgical Inc, USA) robotic platform under the care of 2 consultant surgeons between April - November 2023. 37% (n=14) of the cases were proctored and 92% (n=35) were bowel resections for malignancy. 60.5% (n=23) of the patients were male with a median age of 69.5 years (IQR 56.7-76.7 years) and a median BMI 26.5 Kg/m2 (IQR 23.9-28.6 Kg/m2). 17 patients (44.7%) were classified as ASA 3 due to their comorbidities. No cases were converted to open or laparoscopy with a median total console time of 284 minutes (IQR 160-335 min). There was no difference in total console time if the case was proctored (p=0.204, Student t-test). A stoma was formed in 12/35 (34.3%) of bowel resections, which all were planned preoperatively. All anastomoses were stapled with 16/30 (53.3%) being intracorporeal. The median length of stay was 5 days (IQR 4-8 days); the presence of a proctor did not significantly impact this (p=0.679, Mann-Whitney-U test). 5.3% (n=2) had a significant postoperative complication (Clavien-Dindo ≥3). No mortalities or hospital readmissions were recorded within 30 days of the procedure. Conclusions The presence of a proctor had no impact on total console time or patient outcomes in our centre’s small cohort.
Broadhurst et al. (Mon,) studied this question.