Gallstones

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) combined with triple antiemetics for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in high-risk patients. The primary question it seeks to answer is: Does TEAS combined with triple antiemetics further reduce the incidence of PONV in high-risk subjects? Researchers will compare active TEAS with sham stimulation to determine whether the addition of TEAS to dexamethasone, palonosetron, and droperidol lowers the PONV rate beyond that achieved by the triple-drug prophylaxis alone.

This is a single-center, randomized controlled, parallel, non-inferiority trial. All adult patients with benign gallbladder disease with an indication for cholecystectomy will be assessed for eligibility and included after obtaining informed consent. A total of 276 patients will be randomized to undergo either robotic cholecystectomy (RC) or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The primary endpoint will be the incidence and severity of postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery. Secondary endpoints include perioperative outcomes, total health care utilization, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) as assessed by patient-reported outcome measures, and cost-effectiveness. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 7 and 30 days postoperatively. This is the first randomized controlled trial designed to compare RC with LC in the treatment of benign gallbladder disease. The trial aims to evaluate the safety and non-inferiority of RC relative to LC, providing important evidence to guide the progress and adoption of robotic surgery in clinical practice.

This prospective clinical cohort study will include patients with gallstones and abdominal pain scheduled for surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy). Data on quality of life, abdominal pain, gallstone disease, and patient characteristics will be collected before surgery. The outcomes will be assessed three months following surgery and will primarily be determinants for resolution of pain. The aim is to make a prediction score that may aid clinicians and patients in decision making about surgery.

Robotic assisted surgery has been performed for more than two decades with good success and safety profile. However, there was only one dominating robotic surgical system available in the past which led to high cost for robotic surgery. Recently, a new robotic surgical system (Sentire Robotic Surgical System) was introduced by researchers of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). This new robotic surgical system aims to achieve similar outcomes and standards of robotic surgery performed using the dominating system but with a significantly lower cost. The technologic innovation and development of this new robotic system is made by the Cornerstone Robotics Limited, which is based in Hong Kong. In a pilot clinical study conducted at Prince of Wales Hospital involving 55 patients, the Sentire Robotic Surgical System had demonstrated high success rate with minimal complications in patients who underwent robotic colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, and urologic surgery. Researchers of CUHK would therefore like to conduct another prospective study to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sentire Surgical System C1000 in major gastrointestinal and urologic surgery with expanded indications. It is believed that the results of this study will provide data to support its use for wide range of procedures with minimal access trauma, for the benefit of patients. This system will also lead to a wider range of clinical application for minimally invasive surgery with a cost-effective model.