Emergency and weekend robotic surgery are feasible

Robotic surgery has made a minimally invasive approach feasible for many complex operations that were previously performed by the open approach. Because of the complexity of its technology and the need for specially trained personnel, robotic operations have been limited to elective cases during weekdays. As more surgeons from different specialties perform robotic operations, the chances of scheduling conflicts and the possibility of complications needing a re-operation at night or during a weekend (defined as after hours) are also increasing. Until now, complications have been salvaged by conventional laparoscopy or laparotomy but we were able to demonstrate that, with appropriately trained staff, robotic surgery is feasible after hours and in emergencies. Use of the robot after hours could help alleviate scheduling conflicts for the operating room. For patients, it could potentially avoid laparotomy with its associated morbidity. As far as we are aware, use of the robot for emergency surgery has previously not been reported in the literature. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Ltd.