Effects of Assisted Robotic vs Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (EARLY): A Randomized Controlled Trial on Early Postoperative Pain

Currently, bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term treatment for severe obesity. Bariatric surgery results in sustained weight loss, improved quality of life, and amelioration of obesity-related comorbidities. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become increasingly popular over the past decade due to its safety profile and excellent long-term efficacy, and is now the most common bariatric operation being performed in the U.S. LSG entails resecting the greater curvature and fundus of the stomach; the partial gastrectomy is oriented vertically, parallel to the lesser curvature of the stomach. Overall, LSG results in excellent weight loss and remission of most obesity-related comorbidities. LSG is also less morbid than some of the other bariatric operations, such as laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), because of its technical simplicity and its limited alteration of the normal anatomy.

Unfortunately, laparoscopic surgery is not exempt from limitations including: loss of freedom in a narrow abdominal cavity, limited rotational movements, reduced depth perception, 2D video system, and considerable ergonomic challenges. These limitations have led to an increase in the adoption of robotic surgery. In recent years, robotic surgery has been employed in different specialties, including metabolic and bariatric surgery. Robotic surgery confers multiple advantages including better visualization (3D vision) and wrist movements that are particularly helpful in bariatric procedures. In addition, the position of the head and the body of the operating surgeon at the robot console provides excellent ergonomic advantages.

Until now, the utilization of robotic surgery in bariatrics remains controversial. While prospective trials are lacking, retrospective data on robotic bariatric surgery have demonstrated a potential reduction in hospital length of stay (LOS) and postoperative morbidity compared to the standard laparoscopic approach. Laparoscopy is currently considered the gold standard surgical approach for Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG). However, laparoscopic bariatric surgery can be particularly painful in the early postoperative period, and one study reported 75% of patients in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) reporting moderate to severe pain. The introduction of the robotic platform allows for several potential advantages versus the laparoscopic technique when performing SG. One advantage is the avoidance of port torque and subsequent abdominal wall trauma, which is often implicated as a source of post-operative pain following procedures. Two elements: less postoperative bleeding and abdominal wall trauma, could potentially contribute to the lower postoperative pain reported in some recent studies of robotic surgery.

Even with the rapid adoption of robotic technology for SG in the United States, to date, no prospective head-to-head trials have been performed. The investigators hypothesize that the robotic approach to perform a SG would provide a measurable clinical benefit in regard to early postoperative pain compared to the traditional laparoscopic technique. The expected outcome in the study is a significant decrease in early postoperative pain with the robotic group.