BN SO49 - An early experience in robotic Upper GI surgery at a busy District General Hospital

Abstract Background Robotic surgery is being adopted in performing Upper GI surgery due to the added advantage of precision and safety. Current literature suggests that robotic surgery may be associated with improved patient outcomes, such as blood loss, length of stay and perioperative complications, with majority of evidence stemming from colorectal, urological or thoracic surgical domains. Our UGI unit started robotic surgery in November 2021, initially one surgeon trained, and from June 2022, a second consultant surgeon began robotic surgery. This study describes the early outcomes of robotic Upper GI surgery at our UGI surgery Unit in a busy District General Hospital. Method We retrospectively assessed data of patients undergoing Robotic UGI surgery from a prospectively maintained database. Patient demographics, surgical procedure and duration of surgery was recorded. Conversion rates, post-operative complications and length of stay were recorded. Results Between November 2021 and January 2024, 125patients underwent robotic UGI surgery at our Hospital. The surgeries included cholecystectomy (n=80), Anti-reflux surgery (n=22), Hellers cardiomyotomy (n=4), Gastrectomy (n=6) and oesophagectomy (n=1). The median length of stay was 2 days. Morbidity as per Clavein-Dindo classification 3 and 4 was 3%. There were no mortalities. Conclusion Our preliminary experience suggests that robotic surgery is feasible and safe. It has low complication rate and reduced critical care stay. A structured training of surgeons ensures a safe introduction of robotic services.