Evaluation of Pulmonary Complications in Robotic-Assisted Gynecologic Surgery.

<bold>Study Objective: </bold>To conduct a study to assess the incidence of pulmonary complications associated with robotic-assisted surgeries in women with various gynecologic conditions.<bold>Design: </bold>Retrospective study.<bold>Setting: </bold>Tertiary care center.<bold>Patients: </bold>There were 296 patients included in this study. Patient characteristics and comorbidities were noted. Surgical characteristics and respiratory parameters were recorded for all patients. Intraoperative complications and postoperative complications were noted for up to 30 days after surgery. Patients were followed for a median of 231 days in an effort to detect any long-term complications. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, and the secondary outcome measure was all complications.<bold>Interventions: </bold>None.<bold>Measurements and Main Results: </bold>The study was composed of 296 patients. Only 5 patients (2%) experienced a pulmonary complication. Overall, 38 patients (13%) experienced complications, including both major and minor complications. Average airway pressure and maximum airway pressure were both associated with a significantly higher risk of pulmonary complications (p = .02 and p = .008, respectively). Age, body mass index, tidal volume, respiratory rate, estimated blood loss, and length of procedure were all found to not be statistically significant in patients who experienced a pulmonary complication versus patients who did not experience one.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Robotic gynecologic surgery is safe and tolerated well by most patients. This study supports that there is a low rate of pulmonary complications in those who undergo robotic-assisted surgery for gynecologic indications, as well as a low overall complication rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]