Robotic surgery is safer and improves patient recovery time
Robot-assisted surgery used to perform bladder cancer removal and reconstruction enables patients to recover far more quickly and spend significantly (20 per cent) less time in hospital, concludes a first-of-its kind clinical trial led by scientists at UCL and the University of Sheffield.
The study, published in JAMA and funded by The Urology Foundation with a grant from the Champniss Foundation, also found robotic surgery reduced the chance of readmission by half (52 per cent), and revealed a “striking” four-fold (77 per cent) reduction in prevalence of blood clots (deep vein thrombus & pulmonary emboli) — a significant cause of health decline and morbidity — when compared to patients who had open surgery.
Patients’ physical activity — assessed by daily steps tracked on a wearable smart sensor — stamina and quality of life also increased.
Unlike open surgery, where a surgeon works directly on a patient and involves large incisions in the skin and muscle, robot-assisted surgery allows surgeons to guide minimally invasive instruments remotely using a console and aided by 3D view. It is currently only available in a small number of UK hospitals.
Researchers say the findings provide the strongest evidence so far of the patient benefit of robot-assisted surgery and are now urging National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) to make it available as a clinical option across the UK for all major abdominal surgeries including colorectal, gastro-intestinal, and gynaecological.
Co-Chief Investigator, Professor John Kelly, Professor of Uro-Oncology at UCL’s Division of Surgery & Interventional Science and consultant surgeon at University College London Hospitals, said: “Despite robot-assisted surgery becoming more widely available, there has been no significant clinical evaluation of its overall benefit to patients’ recovery. More