Enhancing Perioperative Outcomes of Pancreatic Surgery with Wearable Augmented Reality Assistance System: A Matched-Pair Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to evaluate the safety of the first wearable augmented reality assistance system (ARAS) specifically designed for pancreatic surgery and its impact on perioperative outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic surgery remains highly complex and is associated with a high rate of perioperative complications. ARAS, as an intraoperative assistance system, has the potential to reduce these complications.

METHODS

This prospective, single-center study included 20 patients who underwent pancreatic surgery using ARAS. These patients were matched in a 1:3 ratio with 60 patients from our retrospective data who underwent standard pancreatic resection. Matching variables were selected based on factors associated with poor intraoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

A higher proportion of patients in the ARAS group were diagnosed with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (20.0% 6.7%, = 0.085). Additionally, more patients in the ARAS group required arterial resection compared with the control group (15.0% 0.0%, = 0.002). Nevertheless, the ARAS group had a significantly shorter operative time (246 299 minutes, = 0.004) and required significantly fewer intraoperative blood transfusions (0.0 ± 0.0 0.5 ± 1.4 units, = 0.014). None of the patients in the ARAS group had positive resection margins (0.0% 20.0%, = 0.045). Furthermore, patients in the ARAS group experienced a significantly shorter hospital stay (13.8 ± 6.6 17.9 ± 8.2 days, = 0.046).

CONCLUSIONS

ARAS is a safe and effective assistance system for pancreatic surgery, offering superior perioperative outcomes compared with standard procedures.