Robotic Surgery Offers Benefits Over VATS in High-Volume Surgeon Study

Robotic-assisted lobectomies performed by high-volume surgeons showed benefits compared to video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), though the study noted a longer operative time.

The propensity-score-matched comparison of 1,166 patients, drawn from the Premier Healthcare database, focused on high-volume surgeons performing at least 20 lobectomies annually via either robotic or VATS approach between 2011 and 2015.

Robotic procedures were associated with significantly fewer conversions to open surgery (4.7% vs. 7.7%) and lower postoperative complications (29.7% vs. 35.1%) compared to VATS. Postoperative bleeding was also lower in the robotic cohort (1.97% vs. 6.09%).

Operative time was longer by an average of 24 minutes for robotic-assisted procedures. No significant differences were observed between the surgical techniques for other evaluated perioperative outcomes, including transfusion rates, length of stay, and 30-day mortality.

Study limitations involved relying on an administrative database, which precluded analysis of long-term outcomes or detailed pathology and staging information.