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 analyze the risk factors for complications after robotic segmentectomy.MethodsClinical data of 207 patients undergoing robot-assisted anatomical segmentectomy in our hospital from June 2015 to July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 69 males and 138 females with a median age of 54.0 years. The relationship between clinicopathological factors and prolonged air leakage, pleural effusion, and pulmonary infection after surgery was analyzed.ResultsAfter robot-assisted segmentectomy, 20 (9.7%) patients developed prolonged air leakage (>5 d), 17 (8.2%) patients developed pleural effusion, and 4 (1.9%) patients developed pulmonary infection. Univariate logistic regression showed that body mass index (BMI, P=0.018), FEV1% (P=0.024), number of N1 lymph nodes resection (P=0.008) were related to prolonged air leakage after robot-assisted segmentectomy. Benign lesion was a risk factor for pleural effusion (P=0.013). The number of lymph node sampling stations was significantly related to the incidence of pulmonary infection (P=0.035). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the BMI (OR=0.73, P=0.012) and N1 lymph node sampling (OR=1.38, P=0.001) had a negative and positive relationship with prolonged air leakage after robot-assisted segmentectomy, respectively.ConclusionThe incidence of pulmonary complications after robot-assisted segmentectomy is low. The lower BMI and more N1 lymph node sampling is, the greater probability of prolonged air leakage is. Benign lesions and more lymph node sampling stations are risk factors for pleural effusion and lung infection, respectively. Attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of perioperative complications for patients with such risk factors.
ObjectiveTo introduce the method and preliminary experience of robot-assisted bilateral internal mammary arteries (BIMA) harvesting for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) with 5 grafts via left anterolateral minithoracotomy.MethodsBIMA were harvested using the da Vinci robotic surgical system, and the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) was pulled out of the thoracic cavity through right second intercostal space. Intercepting the distal part of the RIMA for the BIMA composite Lima-Rima Y graft and anastomosing the great saphenous vein with remaining RIMA end to end. The Y graft anastomosed with left anterior descending (LAD) branch and diagonal branches (DIAG), artery-vein graft sequentially anastomosed with blunt round branch, left ventricular posterior branch and posterior descending branch.ResultsThe operation succeeded without hemodynamic instability and intra aortic balloon pump (IABP) implantation or cardiopulmonary bypass. The blood flow of Y graft was 24 mL/min, and the blood flow of artery-vein graft was 30 mL/min. Ventilator assistance time was 35 hours, ICU staying time was 62 hours, and postoperative myocardial enzymes increased temporarily. Postoperative coronary CTA showed that all the grafts were patency, and cardiac ultrasound indicated that the heart function was normal. The patient cured and discharged from hospital 7 days after operation.ConclusionRobot-assisted bilateral internal mammary artery harvesting for OPCAB with 5 grafts via left anterolateral minithoracotomy is feasible, which can achieve complete revascularization.
The robotic bronchoscopy system is a new technology for lung lesion location, biopsy and interventional therapy. Its safety and effectiveness have been clinically proven. Based on many advanced technologies carried by the robotic bronchoscopy system, it is more intelligent, convenient and stable when clinicians perform bronchoscopy operations. It has higher accuracy and diagnostic rates, and less complications than bronchoscopy with the assistance of magnetic navigation and ordinary bronchoscopy. This article gave a review of the progress of robotic bronchoscopy systems, and a prospect of the combination with artificial intelligence.
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.
Objective To investigate the clinical effect of orthopedic robot-assisted sacroiliac joint screws in the treatment of posterior pelvic ring fractures. Methods Patients who underwent sacroiliac joint screw fixation in People’s Hospital of Deyang City between January 2018 and August 2021 were included, and the patients were divided intoa robotic group and a manual group by randomization. The robot group used robot-assisted insertion of sacroiliac joint screws, and the manual group used manual insertion of sacroiliac joint screws. The general condition, time of sacroiliac joint screw placement, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, guide needle drilling times, surgical blood loss, and Majeed pelvic function score were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 42 patients were included, and there was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index , injury type or injury cause between the two groups (P>0.05). Finally, 21 screws were placed in 19 patients in the robotic group and 23 screws in 23 patients in the manual group. The wounds of the two groups were completely healed after operation, and there was no wound infection, iatrogenic vascular and nerve injury, and no loosening of internal fixation. There was no significant difference in screw placement time, blood loss or Majeed score between the two groups (P>0.05). The number of fluoroscopy (14.53±4.54 vs. 19.87±5.48) and drilling times (1.00±0.00 vs. 7.24±3.77) in the robotic group were less than those in the manual group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Orthopedic surgical robots have the advantages of minimally invasive, less fluoroscopy, and accurate screw placement in sacroiliac joint screw placement, and have good clinical results in the treatment of pelvic fractures.
Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of the da Vinci robot and thoracoscopic subxiphoid approach for the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent anterior mediastinal tumor resection through the subxiphoid approach admitted to the same medical group in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between June 2020 and April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the surgery approach, the patients were divided into a robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) group and a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) group. The perioperative data and the incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 79 patients were enrolled. There were 41 patients in the RATS group, including 13 males and 28 females, with an average age of 45.61±14.99 years. There were 38 patients in the VATS group, including 14 males and 24 females, with an average age of 47.84±15.05 years. All patients completed the surgery successfully. Hospitalization cost and operative time were higher or longer in the RATS group than those in the VATS group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Intraoperative bleeding, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative water and food intake time, postoperative off-bed activity time, white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage and visual analogue scale (VAS) score on the first postoperative day, white blood cell count and neutrophil percentage on the third postoperative day, duration of analgesic pump use, the number of voluntary compressions of the analgesic pump, and mediastinal drainage volume were all superior to those in the VATS group (P<0.05). The differences in VAS scores on the third postoperative day, duration of drainage tube retention and postoperative complication rates were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion RATS subxiphoid anterior mediastinum tumor resection is a safe and feasible surgical method with less injury and higher safety, which is conducive to rapid postoperative recovery and has wide clinical application prospects.
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.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy of robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open total mesorectal excision (TME) for the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods The PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were electronically searched to identify cohort studies on robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open TME for rectal cancer published from January 2016 to January 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Subsequently, network meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and R software. Results A total of 24 studies involving 12 348 patients were included. The results indicated that among the three types of surgical procedures, robotic TME showed the best outcomes by shortening the length of hospital stay, reducing the incidence of postoperative anastomotic fistula and intestinal obstruction, and lowering the overall postoperative complication rate. However, differences in the number of dissected peritumoural lymph nodes were not statistically significant. Conclusion Robotic TME shows better outcomes in terms of the radicality of excision and postoperative short-term outcomes in the treatment of rectal cancer. However, clinicians should consider the patients’ actual condition for the selection of surgical methods to achieve individualised treatment for patients with rectal cancer.
Objective To compare the difference in the inclination and anteversion angles of the acetabular cup measured by intraoperative robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA) and postoperative X-ray films and CT imaging. MethodsThe clinical data of 54 patients (54 hips) who underwent robot-assisted THA between May 2020 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 26 males (26 hips) and 28 females (28 hips), with an average age of 58.4 years (range, 39-71 years). The body mass index was 19.2-29.3 kg/m2, with an average of 25.2 kg/m2. All the patients had their first THA, including 31 cases of osteonecrosis of the femoral head, 12 cases of hip arthritis, 8 cases of femoral neck fracture, and 3 cases of developmental dysplasia of the hip. The anteversion and inclination angles of the acetabular cup were obtained through the surgical data in the robot host system. All patients underwent X-ray and CT scan examination within 2-7 days after operation to obtain the postoperative anteversion and inclination angles of the acetabular cup. According to the concept of “Lewinnek safe zone”, the proportion of acetabular in the safe zone intra- and post-operation were compared. ResultsThe operation time was 57.8-89.2 minutes, with an average of 68.3 minutes; the intraoperative blood loss was 125.0-450.0 mL, with an average of 204.8 mL. No adverse events such as dislocation of hip joint and infection occurred during hospitalization. The anteversion angle of acetabular cup was (40.8±0.6)° during operation and (41.2±2.8)° after operation, with no significant difference (t=1.026, P=0.307). The anteversion angle of acetabular cup measured during operation was (17.6±1.4)°, which was significantly smaller than that measured after operation (23.4±3.8)°(t=10.520, P=0.000). According to “Lewinnek safe zone”, 54 hips (100%) were in the safety zone during operation, and 16 hips were out of the safety zone, 38 hips were in the safty zone after operation, the ratio of the hips in the safty zone was 70.4%, showing a significant difference (χ2=18.783, P=0.000). ConclusionRobot-assisted THA can obtain accurate placement of the acetabular cup, but there is a large deviation between the anteversion angle of the acetabular cup in the lateral position during operation and the supine position after operation. Further study is needed to define the intraoperative placement position of the acetabular cup.
