Is right colectomy a complete learning procedure for a robotic surgical program?

This study analyses the utility of right colectomy as a learning procedure at the beginning of a robotic surgical program. The hypothesis is that right colectomy contains all the technical steps necessary to acquire basic abilities in robotics surgery. The first 23 consecutive robotic right colectomy performed at the beginning of a robotic program were analysed. All surgical times were recorded in the operating room and second checked on a dedicated video-database. Specific robotic times were analysed using CUSUM method to evaluate the learning curve. CUSUM-derived learning phases were compared. Fourteen males and nine females with a mean age of 68.7 (46–84) underwent robotic right colectomy. The mean overall time was 265.3 min (180–320 min), docking time was 7 min (5–12 min), console time was 205.9 min (145–260 min), and anastomotic time was 43.6 (25–60 min). CUSUM analyses identified two learning phases: “starting phase” and “consolidation phase”. Interphase comparison confirmed the significant (p < 0.05) differences between the two phases. Robotic technology facilitates the training process in minimally invasive colorectal surgery. At the beginning of the learning curve, right colectomy could represent a complete procedure to be proficient in robotic colorectal surgery.