Impact of dehydration on laparoscopic performance: a prospective, open-label, randomized cross-over trial

Introduction During laparoscopic surgery, surgeons may experience prolonged periods without fluid intake, which might impact surgical performance, yet there are no objective data investigating this issue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of prolonged dehydration on laparoscopic surgical performance and tissue handling. Methods A total of 51 laparoscopic novices participated in a single-center, open-label, prospective randomized cross-over trial. All participants were trained to proficiency using a standardized laparoscopic training curriculum. Afterward, all participants performed four different laparoscopic tasks twice, once after 6 h without liquid intake (dehydrated group) and once without any restrictions (control group). Primary endpoints were tissue handling defined by force exertion, task time, and error rate. The real hydration status was assessed by biological parameters, like heart rate, blood pressure, and blood gas analysis. Results 51 laparoscopic novices finished the curriculum and completed the tasks under both hydrated and dehydrated conditions. There were no significant differences in mean non-zero and peak force between the groups. However, dehydrated participants showed significantly slower task times in the Peg transfer task (hydrated: 139.2 s vs. dehydrated: 147.9 s, p=0.034) and more errors regarding the precision in the laparoscopic suture and knot task (hydrated: 15.7% accuracy rate vs. dehydrated: 41.2% accuracy rate, p<0.001). Conclusion Prolonged periods of dehydration do not appear to have a substantial effect on the fundamental tissue handling skills in terms of force exertion among surgical novices. Nevertheless, the observed impact on speed and precision warrants attention.