Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Single Surgeon’s Experience with 527 Consecutive Patients

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Robotic bariatric surgery is increasingly adopted by surgeons. We present the surgical results of 527 consecutive patients who underwent robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) using the standard technique. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was performed including 527 consecutive patients who underwent robotic RYGB between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2021. Results: The mean age of the patients was 41 years, with a male/female sex distribution of 143/384 (27.1%/72.9%). Type 2 diabetes in the pre-operative period was diagnosed in 31% of patients. The median pre-operative body mass index (BMI) was 44.6 kg/m2 (range, 35–64). The mean operation time was 134 min for robotic RYGB, including the docking process. Early (< 30 days) complications included ileus (0.2%), atelectasis (0.2%), thromboembolic (0.2%) events, and surgical-site infection (0.2%). No leakage or bleeding of the gastrojejunal and jejunojejunal anastomoses were recorded. Oral food intake was begun at 1.8 days on average. The average hospital stay was 2 days. Despite a range of BMI values, operation times and gastrojejunal anas-tomosis times did not show significant differences. There were no significant differences in mean operation time or mean gastrojejunal anastomosis time over the years. Conclusions: The robotic approach is effective and safe for patients undergoing RYGB. This technique provides satisfactory results with short-term surgical outcomes. However, the real benefits of robotic RYGB should be further evaluated by well-conducted randomized trials. Even in difficult cases with higher BMI values, optimal operation times and similar operative efficiency can be obtained if a standard operation technique is applied.