The ESCP Cohort Studies Committee will undertake a robotic cohort study in 2019 which will investigate robotic surgery impact on major complications. This was announced at today’s 8:30am New Trials Forum which, despite the early hour, enjoyed lively insights and ideas exchanges as four new trials were presented for review by an expert panel chaired by Professor Dion Morton.
The topics of the new trials presented were wide-ranging, but all shared a common purpose of ultimately understanding how we can efficiently and effectively improve patient outcomes:
- Dale Vimalachandran (UK) introduced the innovative DAMASCUS (Diverticular Abscess Management: A Single Blinded Cohort Study) research which will take a multi-national cohort approach to prospectively observe the management and outcomes of patients presenting with diverticular abscesses.
- Next, Simon SM Ng (Hong Kong) took the audience through his fascinating research into whether Electroacupuncture combined with Fast-Track Perioperative Program Effectively reduces the duration of Postoperative Ileus and Hospital Stay after Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery.
- Then Ishwarya Balasubramanian (Ireland) presented a timely new randomized controlled trial looking at the role of SELective Decontamination of the Digestive (SDD) tract in preventing surgical site infections in Elective Colorectal Surgery.
- Finally, we heard from Hartwig Kørner (Norway) on the aptly-named NORWAIT trial - NORwegian Watch And Wait In clinically complete response after neo-adjuvant Treatment for rectal cancer.
The panel and audience offered suggestions and questions for further development of the studies.
In remarking on the promising results Dr Ng and team have been observing, Professor Morton floated the idea of sending some European physiotherapists to Hong Kong to be trained by Dr Ng’s team in acupuncture. You heard it here first, folks!
2019 ESCP Robotic Surgery Cohort Study
Wrapping up the session, ESCP’s Cohort Studies Committee member, Sanjay Chaudri, announced the ESCP Robotic Surgery Cohort Study for 2019, undertaken in collaboration with the existing MIRCAST and RESET trial teams, which will will open to units undertaking robotic surgery and collect data on patients undergoing right hemicolectomy and rectal resection.
The committee envision that the robotic surgery cohort study will provide a denominator to units participating in MIRCAST and RESET, which is important given the trend towards robotically-assisted procedures.
The ESCP Cohort Committee will announce further details of the study by early 2019 – watch this space!
In the meantime, learn more about the ESCP Cohort Committee and how you can get involved here on our website or in the Research section on the app.
