Robotic Thoracic Surgery: Current Practices and Emerging Technologies

Robotic-assisted surgery has been a boon toward expanding the ability to offer thoracic patients the benefits of minimally invasive procedures, including shorter hospital stays, less pain, and quicker recovery. As a recent review of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database showed, use of the robotic platform has rapidly grown over the last decade for lung and esophageal resections with a corresponding decrease in traditional open approaches.1 Robotics has not only facilitated growth in the number of patients undergoing minimally invasive thoracic surgery but also expanded the types of operations amenable to a safe and effective minimally invasive approach.