To investigate the physiological metrics associated with perceived stress in surgeons during live robot-assisted surgery (RAS).
Approach:
Study Design: A prospective observational field study conducted at Chiba University Hospital, involving multimodal physiological recordings and retrospective stress ratings via video-stimulated recall.
Participants: Urologic surgeons with prior robotic console experience were recruited to participate in RAS procedures.
Data Acquisition: Physiological signals including EEG, EOG, sEMG, and ECG were recorded during surgeries, along with sound levels near the surgeon console.
Key Findings:
Surgeon stress is influenced by the complexity of RAS, requiring sustained attention and fine motor control.
Perceived stress is a dynamic state with measurable psychophysiological correlates.
Multimodal measurement may provide a more comprehensive understanding of perceived stress compared to single physiological proxies.
Interpretation:
The study emphasizes the importance of developing effective intraoperative stress assessment methods that can capture real-time fluctuations in surgeon stress during RAS.
Limitations:
Previous studies relied on simulations, which do not fully represent the intraoperative environment.
Common subjective measures often capture stress only post-operatively, limiting real-time assessment.
Conclusion:
A compact approach to intraoperative stress assessment may enhance understanding of surgeon stress dynamics during live RAS.
