Single incision laparoscopic surgery from a caribbean perspective

Colorectal resections for malignancy: A pilot study comparing conventional vs freehand robot-assisted laparoscopic colectomy

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic colectomy is widely accepted as a safe operation for colorectal cancer, but we have experienced resistance to the introduction of the FreeHand® robotic camera holder to augment laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

AIM

To compare the initial results between conventional and FreeHand® robot-assisted laparoscopic colectomy in Trinidad and Tobago.

METHODS

This was a prospective study of outcomes from all laparoscopic colectomies performed for colorectal carcinoma from November 29, 2021 to May 30, 2022. The following data were recorded: Operating time, conversions, estimated blood loss, hospitalization, morbidity, surgical resection margins and number of nodes harvested. All data were entered into an excel database and the data were analyzed using SPSS ver 20.0.

RESULTS

There were 23 patients undergoing colectomies for malignant disease: 8 (35%) FreeHand®-assisted and 15 (65%) conventional laparoscopic colectomies. There were no conversions. Operating time was significantly lower in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic colectomy (95.13 ± 9.22 vs 105.67 ± 11.48 min; P = 0.045). Otherwise, there was no difference in estimated blood loss, nodal harvest, hospitalization, morbidity or mortality.

CONCLUSION

The FreeHand® robot for colectomies is safe, provides some advantages over conventional laparoscopy and does not compromise oncologic standards in the resource-poor Caribbean setting.

Emergency single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: A multi-center study

Single-incision laparoscopy is accepted as a safe alternative to multiple port laparoscopy for elective cholecystectomy; however, there are limited data on its use in patients with acute cholecystitis. The present multi-center study evaluated the outcomes of emergency single-incision surgeries for acute cholecystitis in hospitals in Belgium, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago over a 5-year period. Standardized definitions of uncomplicated and complicated acute cholecystitis were used and the data were compared using SPSS software. The results revealed that over the 5-year period, 108 patients with a mean age of 48±15 years and a mean body mass index of 27±4.2 kg/m² underwent emergency single-incision cholecystectomies. The surgeries were successful in 92.1% of cases without supplemental trocars being used. The overall morbidity rates (9.3%) were also comparable to the historic controls with multiple port cholecystectomy. As was expected, the complicated cholecystitis group required a significantly longer operating time (86.11±30.16 vs. 66.79±16.8; P<0.00194), as well as supplemental trocars (7.9%) vs. 0; P=0.0413). On the whole, the present study demonstrates that emergency single-incision cholecystectomy is a technically feasible and safe procedure for patients with acute cholecystitis. These findings advocate a low threshold to place additional ports to assist with dissection and exposure.

Single-Incision Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Initial Report From the Turks and Caicos Islands

There has been no prior report of single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) from the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos. We report our initial experience with SILS cholecystectomy to show that SILS in this environment is feasible with minimal change to the existing hardware. It is a safe alternative to conventional multi-trocar laparoscopic cholecystectomy in this setting.

A Giant Gallstone: The Largest Gallstone Removed Laparoscopically in the World

Trinidad and Tobago, a small twin island republic off the coast of Venezuela, is leading the Caribbean in laparoscopic surgery. While giant gallbladders are usually difficult to operate on and have a high conversion rate from laparoscopic to open procedure, in Trinidad and Tobago a laparoscopic cholecystectomy involving a giant gallbladder and the largest gallstone ever removed laparoscopically was performed uneventfully.