This study reports the first successful clinical application of a robotic-assisted system in transcatheter balloon-expandable aortic valve implantation using the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve. Two male patients, aged 60 and 63 years, respectively, presented with severe aortic stenosis confirmed by echocardiography and computed tomography, showing significant valvular calcification and elevated transvalvular pressure gradients, meeting the indications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Both procedures were performed via the right femoral artery using a robotic-assisted delivery and positioning system developed by Shanghai Surgerii Medical Technology Co., Ltd. The operator controlled the delivery system and valve positioning precisely through the console, while the assistant performed balloon expansion and valve deployment. Both procedures were completed successfully without intraoperative complications. The operative times were 75 minutes and 67 minutes, with fluoroscopy times of 16 minutes and 23 minutes, and radiation doses of 714 mGy and 971 mGy, respectively. Postoperative echocardiography demonstrated well-functioning prosthetic valves, with mean transvalvular pressure gradients of 3.9 mm Hg and 8.0 mm Hg, and none or trivial paravalvular leakage. No coronary obstruction, conduction disturbance, or vascular complications were observed. This report represents the world’s first clinical use of a robotic-assisted system for balloon-expandable TAVI. It confirms the feasibility and safety of robotic assistance in transcatheter valve delivery and positioning, offering a new approach to enhance procedural precision and stability, and providing valuable insights for the future development of intelligent, minimally invasive therapies for structural heart disease.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy using da Vinci S System, and explore its advantages in minimally invasive surgery. MethodsFrom May 2009 to May 2013, 12 patients with suspected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent robot-assisted lobectomy using da Vinci S System in Shanghai Chest Hospital. There were 6 male and 6 female patients with their age of 40-61 (52±8) years. Robotic instruments were used through a 12-mm observation port, two 8-mm thoracoscopic ports and a 12 to 40 mm utility incision without rib spreading. Perioperative data of the patients were collected and analyzed. ResultsAll the 12 patients successfully received surgical resection. All types of lobectomy were performed, and all the procedures were radical resection. Each patient received 4 to 9 (5±1) stations of lymph node dissection. None of the patients underwent conversion to thoracotomy. There was no perioperative mortality or morbidity in this group. Chest drainage duration was 3-11 (8±7) days. Length of hospital stay was 6 to 18 (14±8) days. Operation time was 60 to 280 (185±78) minutes. Intraoperative blood loss was 20 to 200 (108±71) ml. There was no perioperative blood transfusion. ConclusionsRobot-assisted lobectomy is initially proven a safe and effective procedure with enhanced visualization and better dexterity and stability than video-assisted thoracopscopic surgery. Thus surgical indications for robot-assisted lobectomy can be widened. Robot-assisted lobectomy is an important choice in the new age of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.
Objective To investigate the risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. Methods The data of the patients who underwent robotic cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) from July 2016 to June 2022 in Daping Hospital of Army Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether arrhythmia occurred after operation, the patients were divided into an arrhythmia group and a non-arrhythmia group. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic analysis were used to screen the risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. ResultsA total of 146 patients were enrolled, including 55 males and 91 females, with an average age of 43.03±13.11 years. There were 23 patients in the arrhythmia group and 123 patients in the non-arrhythmia group. One (0.49%) patient died in the hospital. Univariate analysis suggested that age, body weight, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, left atrial anteroposterior diameter, left ventricular anteroposterior diameter, right ventricular anteroposterior diameter, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, uric acid, red blood cell width, operation time, CPB time, aortic cross-clamping time, and operation type were associated with postoperative arrhythmia (P<0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis suggested that direct bilirubin (OR=1.334, 95%CI 1.003-1.774, P=0.048) and aortic cross-clamping time (OR=1.018, 95%CI 1.005-1.031, P=0.008) were independent risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. In the arrhythmia group, postoperative tracheal intubation time (P<0.001), intensive care unit stay (P<0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (P<0.001) were significantly prolonged, and postoperative high-dose blood transfusion events were significantly increased (P=0.002). Conclusion Preoperative direct bilirubin level and aortic cross-clamping time are independent risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. Postoperative tracheal intubation time, intensive care unit stay, and postoperative hospital stay are significantly prolonged in patients with postoperative arrhythmia, and postoperative high-dose blood transfusion events are significantly increased.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the curative and economic effect of da Vinci robotic lung segmentectomy. MethodWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 13 patients who underwent robotic lung segmentectomy (as a robotic group) and 35 patients who underwent thoracoscopic lung segmentectomy (as a thoracoscopic group) in our hospital between September 2014 and April 2015. There were 4 males and 9 females at age of 43-73 (59.1±8.9) years in the robot group and 17 males and 18 females in the thoracoscopic group at age of 30-79 (59.1+12.0) years. Effects of the two groups were compared. ResultsPostoperative hospitalization time in the robotic group was shorter than that in the thoracoscopic group (4.4±0.8 d vs. 6.3±2.5 d, P<0.05). But the cost of hospitalization in the robotic group was higher than that in the thoracoscopic group (P<0.05). The surgery indwelling catheter time and incidence of complications in the robotic group were lower than those in the thoracoscopic group with no statistical difference (P=0.053, 0.081). ConclusionRobotic lung segmentectomy is a safe and feasible operation method. With the further accumulation of clinical experience and decrease of the cost of materials, the robot will play a more important role in the future of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.
ObjectiveTo summarize the data of robotic hysterectomy in patients with large and super-large uterus in single center, and explore the relevant clinical experience and advantages of robotic surgery.MethodsThe medical records of the patients with large uterus caused by gynecological diseases who underwent robotic hysterectomy in the Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients with uterine size from 12 to 16 weeks of gestation were divided into large uterus group and those with uterine volume larger than 16 weeks of gestation were divided into super large uterus group.ResultsA total of 62 patients were included, including 28 in the large uterus group with the average uterus size of (14.3±2.1) gestational weeks, and 34 in the super large uterus group with the average uterus size of (19.9±2.8) gestational weeks. There was no significant difference in mean age, body mass index, history of abdominal surgery or diagnostic composition between the two groups (P>0.05), except for the size of the uterus (t=8.772, P<0.001). The operation time in the large uterus group was less than that in the super-large uterus group [(75.4±22.6) vs. (91.7±27.8) min; t=2.495, P=0.015]. The incidence of complications after robotic hysterectomy was 14.5% (9/62) in the 62 patients, including 14.3% (4/28) in the large uterus group and 14.7% (5/34) in the super-large uterus group. There was no significant difference in the amount of bleeding, blood transfusion rate, ratio of conversion to open surgery, average hospitalization days or incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P>0.05).ConclusionsRobotic hysterectomy has the advantages of flexible manipulator, 3-D operative field of vision and stability of manipulation. In addition, increased uterine volume does not lead to increased surgical trauma, nor apparently affect the prognosis.
ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of robot-assisted (RA) minimally invasive surgery versus traditional fluoroscopy-assisted (FA) open posterior fixation surgery in treating thoracolumbar fractures with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). MethodsA clinical data of 21 cases of thoracolumbar fractures with AS who met the selection criteria between December 2016 and December 2023 was retrospectively analyzed. Ten cases underwent RA minimally invasive surgery group (RA group) and 11 cases underwent FA open posterior fixation surgery (FA group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, fracture segment distribution, fracture type, time from injury to surgery, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading between RA group and FA group (P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, radiation exposure time, radiation dose, hospital stay, and complications of the two groups were recorded. According to Gertzbein-Robbins criteria, the accuracy of screw implantation was evaluated by CT within 1 week after surgery. During follow-up, pain and nerve function were evaluated by VAS score and ASIA grading. ResultsAll patients underwent surgery successfully, and there was no significant difference in operation time (P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay in the RA group were significantly less than those in the FA group (P<0.05), and the radiation exposure time and radiation dose were significantly more than those in the FA group (P<0.05). A total of 249 pedicle screws were implanted in the two groups, including 118 in the RA group and 131 in the FA group. According to the Gertzbein-Robbins criteria, the proportion of clinically acceptable screws (grades A and B) in the RA group was significantly higher than that in the FA group (P<0.05). Patients in both groups were followed up 3-12 months, with an average of 6.8 months. The VAS scores of the two groups after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery, and the differences were significant (P<0.05). The RA group had lower scores than the fluoroscopy group at 1 week and 3 months after surgery (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in neurological function grading between groups at 1 week and 3 months after surgery (P>0.05). In the FA group, 1 case of deep infection and 1 case of deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity occurred, while no complication occurred in the RA group, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Both RA minimally invasive surgery and FA open posterior fixation surgery can achieve good effectiveness. Compared with the latter, the former has more advantages in terms of intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and accuracy of pedicle screw insertion.
In recent years, robot-assisted esophagectomy has become increasingly widespread, but the esophagogastric anastomosis step remains relatively complex and cumbersome. Currently, commonly used gastrointestinal reconstruction anastomosis techniques include end-to-end anastomosis, end-to-side anastomosis, and side-to-side anastomosis. Depending on the anastomosis method, they can be further divided into manual anastomosis and mechanical anastomosis, with common instruments including circular staplers and linear staplers. In esophageal cancer surgery, the choice of esophagogastric anastomosis technique is typically based on the tumor’s location and size as well as the surgeon’s preference. Each anastomosis technique has its advantages and disadvantages. With continuous improvements in anastomosis techniques and updates in stapling instruments, the incidence of complications after esophagogastric anastomosis has been effectively reduced. However, safely and efficiently completing gastrointestinal reconstruction during surgery remains a significant challenge. Scholars have made extensive explorations in this field, actively proposing and achieving various reconstruction methods, leading to significant progress. This article reviews the research progress of robot-assisted esophagogastric anastomosis techniques from both the anastomosis techniques and methods perspectives.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of robotic-assisted hepatectomy (RAH) versus traditional laparoscopic hepatectomy (TLH) for hepatic neoplasms.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data and CBM databases were electronically searched to collect cohort studies about the RAH vs. the TLH for liver neoplasms from inception to December 10th, 2016. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. And finally, a meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 17 studies involving 1 389 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that: compared to TLH group, RAH group was associated with more estimated blood loss (WMD=39.56, 95%CI 4.65 to 74.47, P=0.013), longer operative time SMD=0.55, 95%CI 0.29 to 0.80, P<0.001), and later in the first nutritional intake time (SMD=1.06, 95%CI 0.66 to 1.45,P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in the length of hospital stay, conversion to laparotomy, intraoperative blood transfusion, resection rate of tumor margin, complications and 90-day mortality between the two groups.ConclusionCurrent evidence indicates that TLH is superior to RAH in terms of operative time, intraoperative blood loss and the first nutritional intake time, but there are no statistically significant differences in the primary outcomes, suggesting that RAH and TLH have similar efficacy and safety for hepatic neoplasms. Due to the limitation of quality and quantity of the included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality research.
Objective To review the progress of the robotic applications in vascular surgery. Methods Recent literature about the robotic applications in vascular surgery was reviewed and analyzed. Results Robotic system is composed of surgery robotic system and endovascular interventional robotic system. The time of aortic clamping and anastomosis is reduced considerably during the robotic-assisted aorta bypass surgery, and the dissection of aorta is completed successfully in totally robotic approach. Endovascular interventional robotic system has good performance in navigation and stability, and shows apparent advantages in passing special anatomical segment and complicated lesion. However, the robotic systems are still limited in application for high cost. The problem of tactile feedback should also be solved quickly. Conclusion Robotic systems have apparent advantages and good prospect in vascular surgery. Nevertheless, it still require many clinical trials to formulate the indication and contraindication, to establish standard procedure, to assess the long-term effectiveness of the robotic systems and so on.
Surgery has played an important role in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Resection is usually the first choice for NSCLC patients in stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅱ, and it is also an important part of the comprehensive treatment for the stage ⅢA patients. Standard surgery of NSCLC includes resection of the primary tumor lesion and swee-ping of ipsilateral lymph nodes and mediastinal lymph nodes. The goal of treatment for lung cancer in early stage aims to decrease the rate of recurrence and mortality. In recent years, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and da Vinci robotic minimal invasive surgery have made gratifying achievements, especially for small peripheral lung nodules surgery. For patients with NSCLC at stage ⅢA, the central focus of research is about identifying patients who will benefit in the surgery combining with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, therefore to choose the appropriate surgery.