Research on Anesthesiology in Laparoscopic Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last 40 years, laparoscopic surgery anesthesia has developed and advanced significantly, resulting in a technique minimizing many of the risks, complications, and prolonged duration of hospital stays after open surgery. The proportion of surgical interventions performed laparoscopically continues to increase, and anesthetists must understand and safely manage the risks, specific physiological alterations, and practical challenges that laparoscopy presents.

The laparoscopic (including robotic) approach has become a standard of care for many abdominal or thoracic surgical procedures. Compared to laparotomy, laparoscopy allows for smaller incisions, reduces the perioperative stress response and the postoperative pain, and results in a shorter recovery time. Anesthetic concerns for patients undergoing laparoscopic and robotic surgery differ from those for patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. Laparoscopy requires insufflation of intraperitoneal or extraperitoneal gas, usually carbon dioxide (CO₂), to create space for visualization and surgical maneuvers. The generation of a pneumoperitoneum, absorption of CO₂, and positioning required for surgery induce significant physiological changes in the lungs and heart, which must be evaluated and treated to avoid adverse intra- and postoperative outcomes. Safe anesthetic management, techniques, ventilation, and postoperative care of these patients should be addressed by all anesthetists worldwide.

Importantly, specific groups such as obese and pediatric patients or patients with severe respiratory diseases may benefit from laparoscopic techniques.

Complications may be challenging, and all hospitals undertaking laparoscopic/robotic surgery should have protocols to ensure that staff can recognize and rapidly act upon deteriorating patients after an operation.

Moreover, there is room to explore how digitization and artificial intelligence influence our everyday work, training, personnel deployment, and patient outcomes.

We invite colleagues worldwide to submit their research, reviews, and case reports on any topic related to the anesthetic and postoperative management of patients who have undergone laparoscopic (including robotic) surgery.

Prof. Dr. Valentin Titus Grigorean
Guest Editor

Dr. Mircea Lițescu
Dr. Daniela Godoroja
Guest Editor Assistants

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• general anesthesia (GA)
• laparoscopy
• robotic surgery
• pneumoperitoneum
• ventilation
• position
• multimodal analgesia
• postoperative care