Postoperative use of both opioid and nonopioid analgesics was lower after robotic surgery than after laparotomy for endometrial cancer, according to a report published in Gynecologic Oncology.
Researchers assessed the use of postoperative pain medication in a single-center retrospective study involving 340 consecutive robotically assisted surgeries for endometrial cancer during a 6-year period. The mean patient age was 65 years, and more than one-third of the women were aged 70 or older. Slightly more than half were obese, and 19% were morbidly obese, said Jeremie Abitbol, PhD, of the division of gynecologic oncology, Jewish General Hospital and McGill University, Montreal, and his associates.
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Shown is minimally invasive robotic surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System.
This benefit in the use of pain medication occurred regardless of the patient’s obesity status or age, which is particularly helpful in view of the increased risk of adverse events in these two patient populations, Dr. Abitbol and his associates reported (Gynecol Oncol. 2016. doi: 10.1016/jgyno.2016.11.014).
The direct costs associated with postoperative analgesia also were commensurately lower for robotically assisted surgery ($2.52 per day) than for laparotomy ($7.89 per day).
This study was supported by grants from the Israel Cancer Research Foundation, the Gloria’s Girls Fund, the Levi Family Fund, and the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. Dr. Abitbol reported having no relevant financial disclosures; one of his associates reported receiving a grant from Intuitive Surgical.