The learning curve of Da Vinci robotic surgical system for radical surgery in esophageal cancer / 医学研究生学报

ABSTRACT

Objective At present, there are few studies about the learning curve of da Vinci robot system for surgical treatment of esophageal cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of Da Vinci robotic surgical system for radical surgery in esophageal cancer and explore the learning curve characteristics of thoracic surgeon.Methods Clinical data of 60 consecutive cases who received Da Vinci robot-assisted radical esophagectomy between January 2011 and December 2015 in Nanjing General Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The cases were divided into 3 groups according to the operation period group A (operation time January 2011 to January 2013), group B (operation time February 2013 to February 2014) and group C (operation time March 2014 to December 2015). There were 20 cases in each group. The docking time, thoracic cavity anatomical separation time, total operation time and complication were compared. The learning curve of robotic surgery system were analyzedResults The operations of 60 patients were successfully completed without any transfer to thoracotomy or laparotomy. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between the 3 groups (P>0.05). With the increase in the number of surgical cases, the total operation time of group A (\[450.7±99.1\]min), group B (\[299.7±57.1\]min) and group C (\[248.5±71.5\]min) was gradually reduced. The difference was statistically significant (P0.05) . There were significant differences in total operation time among the three groups(P<0.05).After 20 cases, the fitting curve appeared turning angle, and then the curve began to slow down. Combined with the total operation time, pleural and abdominal cavity anatomical separation time and robotic docking time, it can be seen that the learning curve of Da Vinci robot-assisted radical robotic surgery in esophageal cancer was 20 cases.Conclusion After 20 cases of study, the thoracic surgeon can master the Da Vinci robotic surgical system for the radical surgery of esophageal cancer.