Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy

With an obesity rate of over 30% in the United States, obesity continues to be a serious epidemic. In addition to excessive weight, obesity involves a myriad of comorbidities that contribute to severe morbidity and mortality. Bariatric surgery has been shown to lead to significant weight loss, resolution of obesity-related comorbidities, and overall improved quality of life. After several decades, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has emerged as a leading bariatric procedure, and emergent surgical robotic technology has led to the advent of the robotic sleeve gastrectomy. This procedure has been shown to have outcomes on par with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy along with similar and sometimes lower risks and complications. Additionally, surgeons have become more comfortable and proficient in using robotic surgery overall. While currently an expensive procedure, robotic sleeve gastrectomy has the potential to emerge as the preferred procedure as technology continues to improve, as the surgical robot becomes cheaper and more widely available, and as physicians continue to learn to perform robotic procedures early on in their training.