Clinical Effectiveness of Robotic Surgery Compared with Conventional Laparoscopy: An Umbrella Review

OBJECTIVES: Robotic surgery has evolved into a procedure in which the surgeon remotely controls a robotic arm thus the clinical burden associated with specified diseases in which robot surgery may be indicated, these include diseases like colorectal cancer, rectal cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, gynaecology, neurology, nephrectomy, mitral valve and orthopaedics, to examine how the health system can be organised in order to implement the technology as effectively and efficiently as possible. Therefore, Clinical effectiveness of robotic surgery compared with conventional laparoscopy.

METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed at various electronic databases using PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. A PRISMA method is used to curate and collocate the studies. Quantitative data were pooled into statistical meta-analyses using the Cochrane Review Manager (RevMan) to compare Clinical effectiveness of robotic surgery compared with conventional laparoscopy.

RESULTS: A total of 3043 articles were obtained and after evaluation, 32 articles were accepted that answered the research questions and met the criteria for systematic review and meta-analysis. Therefore, the outcomes for the pooled metanalysis with odds ratio and mean difference complication (OR= 0.98 (-11.17, 13.12), length of stay (MD= -0.25 (-0.90, 0.40), operation time (MD= 18.97 (-16.85, 54.78) and blood loss (MD= 5.35 (-11.88, 22.58) at 95% confidence interval. We found that good evidence for robotic surgery with decreased complication, length of stay, operation time and blood loss compared with conventional laparoscopy.

CONCLUSIONS: In this review we found that robotic surgery played an important role in patients recovery and decreased complication, length of stay, operation time and blood loss. Potential use robotic surgery improves patients’ quality of life compared with conventional laparoscopy. This adds to the confidence that robotic surgery will become more prevalent in the next few years.