New technology attracts necessary concerns regarding safety and effectiveness, including the risk and circumstances of conversions. This study analyses our 11-year experience of conversions from a dedicated pediatric robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery service.
Consecutive patients were evaluated from a prospective database for the period March 2006 to May 2017. Descriptive and quantitative data for conversions were analysed. Variables were investigated including year of surgery, patient age, operation type, surgeon, and experience.
A total of 539 children underwent 601 procedures. There were 45 different types of procedures. Mean (± SD) age was 7.0 ± 5.2 years, and youngest 4 weeks old. There were 31 conversions (5.8%). Conversion rates were significantly higher in younger children, with rates of 10.0%, 6.1% and 4.2% for age groups 0–2, 2–6, and 6–18 years respectively (p=0.01). There was a significant difference in conversion rates amongst procedures (p
