Robotic Congenital Cardiac Surgery Practice Worldwide: A Systematic Review

Background: With the increasing adoption of robotic technology in adult cardiac surgery patients, improved surgeon experience and wider utilization have been reported. However, interpreting trends in robotic congenital surgery is more challenging. By performing a systematic review, the authors aim to evaluate the current literature on robotic congenital operations.

Methods: The protocol was registered with PROSPERO. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were established based on the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) framework. A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January 1998 to December 2021. Studies involving patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery operations performed with robotic assistance were included. Two independent reviewers screened titles/abstracts and then full text of eligible studies. A third reviewer resolved any discrepancies. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was applied to quantify quality assessment for nonrandomized observational studies.

Results: A total of one-hundred twenty-eight publications underwent full-text review, and 66 studies were included. Overwhelmingly, the majority are from single institutions and observational and retrospective studies. The population was mostly adults with only 10.6% (7/66) studies solely reporting pediatric patients. About 50% of the studies were case reports (28/66). Selective reporting of outcomes varied widely across studies. Cumulative mortality rates were 0.3%. The highest incidence of morbidities included pleural effusion (12.3%), reoperation for bleeding (10.7%), atrial fibrillation (10.7%), heart block (9.5%), and peripheral cannulation–related complications (8.6%). The overall quality of the studies was unsatisfactory, with the majority of studies receiving a score of 3 out of 9.

Conclusions: Most publications were case reports or small case series performed in adults and restricted to a few international institutions. To address these clinical challenges, technological improvements and advanced training will be mandatory before wider application to children and complex congenital diagnoses. Unfortunately, the overall quality of studies is poor, with inconsistent outcomes reporting. Improved and standardized reporting will be necessary before an appropriate evaluation of robotics in the treatment of congenital heart disease is feasible.