A new study, published in the Journal of Robotic Surgery, shows that robotic surgery provides an advantage for patients over traditional laparoscopic approaches to colorectal resections.
Here are five things to know about the study, according to a Sept. 30 news release from Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center:
1. The study looked at patients who underwent robotic versus laparoscopic colorectal resections and examined their postoperative pain, postoperative opioid requirements and time of return to work. The robotic approach outperformed laparoscopic in all three areas.
2. The study described 578 patients who underwent either robotic or laparoscopic colorectal surgery between 2018 and 2022, finding that, after adjusting for variables, patients in the robotic group reported experiencing less pain both during hospitalization and at one week after discharge than those in the laparoscopic group.
3. Patients in the robotic group also experienced significantly lower opioid use.
4. Among patients who returned to work, those who underwent robotic surgery returned to work earlier than those in the laparoscopic group —nearly two days earlier on average, 2.1 days after discharge versus 3.8 days.
5. Scientists suggest that the robotic arm’s multiple internal joints and enhanced steadiness decrease disturbance to the tissues of the abdominal wall, thus speeding postoperative healing.