Laparoscopic Principles for the Robotic Surgeon, Part 1

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In the last five years, the adoption of robotic surgery has exploded. However, we often forget that robotic surgery is merely a type of laparoscopic surgery, sharing the same principles and potential pitfalls. Prior to the advent of robotic surgery, laparoscopic surgery training included extensive didactic lectures detailing these principles. With the shift from open and laparoscopic procedures to robotic techniques, this aspect of training is often bypassed.

Over the next several months, we will close the educational gap by covering the following topics:

  • Patient selection
  • Patient positioning
  • The physiology of the pneumoperitoneum (gas-filled abdomen)
  • Energy use for dissection and cauterization
  • Anesthetic considerations
  • Ergonomics
  • Visualization
  • Instrumentation
  • Tissue handling
  • Injury prevention and management

Hopefully, this information will become a requisite for all surgeons beginning the journey towards learning robotic surgery.