018IC - Complications of Robotic Urological Surgery: Prevention, Recognition, and Management

Course Description: Robotic surgery in urology is growing rapidly. It is often perceived as “glamorous” and an “in thing.” Many surgeons start performing robotic surgeries simply because their hospital acquired a new robot, without being fully aware of the potential harm that can occur without proper training, awareness and exposure. It is estimated that over 500,000 robotic procedures have been performed to date, and growth in robotic procedures is expected to be about 10% per year. In parallel, the emergence of single-port robotic surgery has introduced an additional layer of complexity. While this technology offers benefits such as reduced invasiveness and improved cosmetic outcomes, it also presents distinct technical challenges, ergonomic constraints and an increased risk of complications when performed by inexperienced surgeons. At the same time, there have been several reports and lawsuits pertaining to major complications from robotic surgery. It is imperative that urologists embarking on a career involving robotic surgeries be aware of the potential complications, as well as how to prevent and manage them. We all know that there is significant underreporting of complications, and most trainees coming into practice have little knowledge and experience with dealing with robotic complications. Existing practitioners embark on robotic surgeries without being aware of what harm is possible with little knowledge, few skills and limited experience. This proposed course seeks to address this important gap between perception and reality.

Learning Objective 2: Prevent and manage robotic surgical complications by viewing a vivid video demonstration of a catastrophe,
providing awareness and prevention of such an occurrence in the course attendee’s practice. Many
complications occur due to misidentification of the anatomy, surgeon disorientation and “biting off more
than one can chew.” These scenarios will be highlighted extensively during the course.

Learning Objective 3: Identify robotic complications. Be aware of the possible harm in robotic surgeries with little knowledge, few
skills and limited experience. The proposed course seeks to address this critical gap between perception and reality.