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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jul 14:370:m2457.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2457.

Robotic versus laparoscopic ventral hernia repair: multicenter, blinded randomized controlled trial

Oscar A Olavarria  1   2 , Karla Bernardi  3   2 , Shinil K Shah  3   4 , Todd D Wilson  3   4 , Shuyan Wei  3   2 , Claudia Pedroza  5   6 , Elenir B Avritscher  5   6   5   6 , Michele M Loor  7 , Tien C Ko  3 , Lillian S Kao  3   2 , Mike K Liang  3   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Robotic versus laparoscopic ventral hernia repair: multicenter, blinded randomized controlled trial

Oscar A Olavarria et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether robotic ventral hernia repair is associated with fewer days in the hospital 90 days after surgery compared with laparoscopic repair.

Design: Pragmatic, blinded randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Multidisciplinary hernia clinics in Houston, USA.

Participants: 124 patients, deemed appropriate candidates for elective minimally invasive ventral hernia repair, consecutively presenting from April 2018 to February 2019.

Interventions: Robotic ventral hernia repair (n=65) versus laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (n=59).

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was number of days in hospital within 90 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included emergency department visits, operating room time, wound complications, hernia recurrence, reoperation, abdominal wall quality of life, and costs from the healthcare system perspective. Outcomes were pre-specified before data collection began and analyzed as intention to treat.

Results: Patients from both groups were similar at baseline. Ninety day follow-up was completed in 123 (99%) patients. No evidence was seen of a difference in days in hospital between the two groups (median 0 v 0 days; relative rate 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 2.19; P=0.82). For secondary outcomes, no differences were noted in emergency department visits, wound complications, hernia recurrence, or reoperation. However, robotic repair had longer operative duration (141 v 77 min; mean difference 62.89, 45.75 to 80.01; P≤0.001) and increased healthcare costs ($15 865 (£12 746; €14 125) v $12 955; cost ratio 1.21, 1.07 to 1.38; adjusted absolute cost difference $2767, $910 to $4626; P=0.004). Among patients with robotic ventral hernia repair, two had an enterotomy compared none with laparoscopic repair. The median one month postoperative improvement in abdominal wall quality of life was 3 with robotic ventral hernia repair compared with 15 following laparoscopic repair.

Conclusion: This study found no evidence of a difference in 90 day postoperative hospital days between robotic and laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. However, robotic repair increased operative duration and healthcare costs.

Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03490266.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf and declare: support from Intuitive Surgical for the submitted work; SKS receives consulting fees from C-SATS, educational honorariums from Gore, and past research grant support from Neosurgical and Medigus; TDW receives consulting fees from CONMED, EndoEvolution, Davol, and Livsmed and is on the advisory board of ColubrisMX; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
CONSORT flow diagram. LVHR=laparoscopic ventral hernia repair; RVHR=robotic ventral hernia repair
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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