Dr. Jorge Bravo López

Robotic Gastric Bypass: Tips & Tricks

Gastric Bypass is one of the best known and most commonly performed bariatric procedures today, being considered the standard of comparison for the various techniques used to treat obesity and its comorbidities In recent years, more and more, robotic platforms are being used for the execution of these procedures with the aim of improving clinical results by overcoming the limitations of laparoscopy. The greatest benefit of these robotic platforms is given by the great maneuverability that their EndoWrist instruments offer with their 7 degrees of movement, which can be executed with controls that offer a range and comfort of movement on a larger scale and in an intuitive sense of the operative field. This, added to a three-dimensional, high-resolution stereoscopic vision and the control of 4 arms by the same surgeon, makes it possible for during surgery to be performed with greater ergonomics and skill. These advantages are more evident when complex movements and tasks have to be carried out in confined and uncomfortable spaces, as in the case of patients with too large livers or a significant increase in intra-abdominal fat, as occurs with super-obese patients, in which, in addition, excessive thickness of the abdominal wall greatly limits movements in laparoscopy. Another area where you can take advantage of these benefits of robotics is in revisional surgery, where a more precise dissection and preservation of irrigation planes is required; with the robot arms it can be accessed with better dissection angles and give ease for reconstitution In this talk we will briefly review the main advantages of the robotic gastric bypass approach and the surgical technique.