Robo-assisted surgery has no obvious advantages over normal ones: researchers

[ad_1]

According to researchers at the University of Texas, there are no clear benefits to using robots during surgery.

In one study, researchers looked at 50 published randomized controlled trials that included more than 4,800 patients to evaluate the quality of evidence and outcomes for robot-assisted open surgery versus laparoscopy, open surgery, or both.

From reviewing those studies, the researchers found that most of the results showed that there were no clear benefits to performing robot-assisted surgeries when looking at intraoperative complications, conversion rates to open surgery, and outcomes. in the long run despite robot-assisted surgeries often coming at “extreme costs”.

The initial cost of the most popular robotic platform is $ 1.5 million, the researchers said, which does not take into account additional costs such as maintenance or training people to use robots.

In addition to the large cost, the researchers said that robot-assisted surgeries usually take longer to complete despite there being no noticeable differences in outcomes compared to standard surgeries.

For this reason, the researchers said that the description of “robotics” in surgical settings is currently a misnomer as there is currently no automation in these robots. Instead, the researchers said these “robots” actually function more like devices controlled by a surgeon.

While there are currently no clear benefits to robot-assisted surgery, the authors said that with refinement, competition and cost reduction, future versions of surgical robots could have the potential to improve clinical outcomes.

According to Asensus Surgical CEO Anthony Fernando, as of 2021, approximately 40% of surgeries are open, 50% of surgeries are performed laparoscopically, and 3-5% are performed robotic.

The study can be found in the next issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related coverage

[ad_2]