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How long do we need to reach sufficient expertise with the avatera® robotic system?

  • Urology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the learning curve in four basic surgical skills in laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, and evaluate the approximate time needed to reach sufficient expertise in performing these tasks with the avatera® system.

Methods

Twenty urology residents with no previous experience in dry-lab and robotic surgery were asked to complete four basic laparoscopic tasks (peg transfer, circle cutting, needle guidance, and suturing) laparoscopically and robotically. All participants were asked to complete the tasks first after watching the Uroweb educational material and, second, after undertaking a 2-hour training in robotic and laparoscopic dry-lab. Thereafter, all trainees continued to undertake 2-hour training programs until being able to complete the tasks with the avatera® robot at the desired time. Paired t test and one-way ANOVA test were used to analyze time differences between the groups.

Results

Time needed to complete all tasks either robotically or laparoscopically was significantly less in the second compared to the first attempt for all Groups in each Task. In the robotic dry-lab, time needed to complete the tasks was significantly less than in the laparoscopic dry-lab. A significant effect of previous laparoscopic experience of the participants on the training time needed to achieve most of the goal times was detected.

Conclusion

The results of the study highlight the role of previous laparoscopic experience in the training time needed to achieve the performance time goals and demonstrate that the learning curve of basic surgical skills using the avatera® system is steeper than the laparoscopic one.

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Data availability

Data is available on request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The avatera system and all the disposable instruments were provided by avateramedical GmbH for the conduction of this experimental study.

Funding

No funds, grants, or other support was received.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, University of Patras School of Medicine, University Hospital of Rion, 26504, Rio, Patras, Greece

    Eirini Anaplioti, Kristiana Gkeka, Paraskevi Katsakiori, Angelis Peteinaris, Vasileios Tatanis, Solon Faitatziadis, Konstantinos Pagonis, Anastasios Natsos, Mohammed Obaidat, Athanasios Vagionis, Theodoros Spinos, Arman Tsaturyan, Evangelos Liatsikos & Panagiotis Kallidonis

  2. Department of Urology, Erebouni Medical Center, Yerevan, Armenia

    Arman Tsaturyan

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Rion, Patras, Greece

    Theofanis Vrettos

  4. Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Evangelos Liatsikos

Authors
  1. Eirini Anaplioti
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  2. Kristiana Gkeka
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  10. Athanasios Vagionis
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  14. Evangelos Liatsikos
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  15. Panagiotis Kallidonis
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Contributions

KG, AP, EA, SF, KP, TV carried out the experiments. AT, PK and VT conceived and planned the experiments. KP, AN, MO, AV, TS contributed to the interpretation of the results. KG, AP, PK took the lead in writing the manuscript. EL, PK supervised the project. All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis, and manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evangelos Liatsikos.

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Competing interests

Professor Liatsikos is medical advisor of Avateramedical. The other authors have nothing to declare.

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Anaplioti, E., Gkeka, K., Katsakiori, P. et al. How long do we need to reach sufficient expertise with the avatera® robotic system?. Int Urol Nephrol 56, 1577–1583 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-023-03914-5

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