Minimally Invasive Surgery Journal Review  

Evaluating the Robot Platform for use in General Surgery: ROLARR & RIVAL

The debate about whether or not robotic surgery has a place in mainstream general surgery practice has been raging years with critics highlighting concerns about cost and a lack of high-level evidence showing benefit in patient outcomes while proponents suggest benefits in visualization, dexterity, and ergonomics that have not yet been borne out in rigorous trials. Hosts, Drs. Mike Weykamp, Andrew Wright, and Nick Cetrulo use two recent JAMA articles to frame the debate surrounding the platform and offer insight into the future of robotic and minimally invasive surgery.

Learning objectives: 

In this episode we review the current landscape of the literature surrounding robot assisted surgery with a particular focus on how to thoughtfully evaluate emerging surgical technologies, the need to consider the broader concept of value rather than simply healthcare costs, and the role of surgeon-focused outcomes including ergonomics. 

Selected Articles: 

Effect of Robotic-Assisted vs Conventional Laparoscopic Surgery on Risk of Conversion to Open Laparotomy Among Patients Undergoing Resection for Rectal Cancer: The ROLARR Randomized Clinical Trial
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29067426/

Robotic Inguinal vs Transabdominal Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: The RIVAL Randomized Clinical Trial
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32186683/

RIVAL Author Interview with JAMA Surgery:
https://edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/audio-player/18318110