Remote Clinical Monitoring After Robotic Distal Pancreatectomy

Due to fast progress and improvements in robotic surgery, minimally invasive procedures for complex surgery have become increasingly feasible for the vast majority of patients. Over recent years, minimally distal pancreatectomy (MDP) has become the preferred approach for distal pancreatectomy. This minimally invasive alternative offers less postoperative pain, better cosmetic outcomes, a quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, decreased morbidity, reduced intraoperative blood loss, and reduced health care costs. This shift in care models has enabled patients to return home more quickly after surgery, while their recovery continues to be closely monitored.

Hospitals are increasingly confronted with high bed occupancy rates and the need to use staff more efficiently. This has emphasized the importance of optimizing the length of stay for patients undergoing pancreatectomy, ensuring they can be discharged sooner without compromising their recovery. Early discharge from the hospital, combined with remote monitoring, offers a promising solution to these challenges. Thanks to advances in technology, patients can be monitored remotely after discharge by healthcare professionals allowing for early detection of potential complications and timely intervention, all while the patient recovers in the comfort of their own home. This approach also facilitates the effective implementation of transmurally coordinated care pathways (care delivered across different levels of the healthcare system), ensuring seamless communication and care transitions between hospital and home.

The TOTeM (Transmurale Opvolging met TeleMonitoring na chirurgie) project, supported by the Federale Overheidsdienst Volksgezondheid, Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en Leefmilieu, focuses on remote monitoring of patients with the help of wearable monitoring devices and a telemonitoring hub. Unlike the current approach where the patient is admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after surgery, patients will be immediately transferred to the ward. The patient is sent home after surgery as early as medically possible (as defined by reaching all of the time to be fit criteria), with qualitative and specialized follow-up in the home setting. The time to be fit criteria include: oral pain medication only, independent walking, oral intake, hemodynamically (90% of baseline blood pressure, heart rate in 90% of normal range) and respiratory (no need for extra oxygen) stable, and no drains or urinary catheters. After discharge, the patient is contacted by the telemonitoring hub through a daily videocall. Parameters are assessed up to three times a day. Follow-up via the mobile application and videocall is foreseen up to ten days postoperatively. The telemonitoring hub screens all input from the questionnaires completed by the patient as well as the parameters that are obtained via wearable monitoring devices. If necessary, the patient is contacted or an escalation protocol is triggered. The project aims to enable a faster recovery of patients in a familiar home environment and a more active role of the patient in their recovery process. For the hospital, the faster discharge offers the opportunity to optimize bed occupancy. On a societal level, the social cost of care may decrease.

This pilot and feasibility study focuses on the application of remote clinical monitoring following robotic distal pancreatectomy. By evaluating the feasibility and effect of the implementation of such a care model, this research aims to contribute to optimizing care for patients undergoing these complex procedures, while also alleviating pressure on hospital resources and staff.