Key points from article :
Robot-assisted surgery used to perform bladder cancer removal enables patients to recover far more quickly and spend less time in hospital.
The study found robotic surgery reduced the chance of readmission by half (52 per cent), and revealed a “striking” four-fold (77 per cent) reduction in prevalence of blood clots- a significant cause of health decline and morbidity.
Patients’ physical activity - assessed by wearable smart sensor - increased stamina and quality of life.
Also allows surgeons to guide minimally invasive instruments remotely using a console and aid by 3D view.
Researchers urging National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) to make it available as a clinical option across the UK for all major abdominal surgeries.
About 10,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK every year and over 3,000 bladder removals.
Across nine UK hospitals, 338 patients with non-metastatic bladder cancer were randomised into two groups.
Co-Chief Investigator, Professor John Kelly, “An unexpected finding was the striking reduction in blood clots in patients receiving robotic surgery.
The robot-assisted group stayed eight days in hospital, compared to 10 days for the open surgery group – so a 20% reduction.
Readmittance to hospitals was significantly reduced – 21% for the robot-assisted group vs 32% for open.
An analysis to establish the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) is been conducted.
The clinical trial was led by scientists at UCL and the University of Sheffield and published in JAMA
