Patient body image, self-esteem, and cosmetic results of minimally invasive robotic cardiac surgery

Abstract Background Patient-reported outcome measures reveal the quality of surgical care from the patient's perspective. We aimed to compare body image, self-esteem, hospital anxiety and depression, and cosmetic outcomes by using validated tools between patients undergoing robot-assisted surgery and those undergoing conventional open surgery. Materials and methods This single-center, multidisciplinary, randomized, prospective study of 62 patients who underwent cardiac surgery was conducted at Hospital from May 2013 to January 2015. The patients were divided into two groups: the robotic group (n = 33) and the open group (n = 29). The study employed five different tools to assess body image, self-esteem, and overall patient-rated scar satisfaction. Results There were statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of self-esteem scores (p  =  0.038), body image scores (p  =  0.026) , overall Observer Scar Assessment Scale (p  =  0.013) , and overall Patient Scar Assessment Scale (p  =  0.036) scores in favor of the robotic group during the postoperative period. Robot-assisted surgery protected the patient's body image and self-esteem, while conventional open surgery decreased these levels but without causing pathologies. Preoperative depression and anxiety level was reduced by both robot-assisted surgery and conventional open surgery. The groups did not significantly differ on Patient Satisfaction Scores and depression/anxiety scores. Conclusion The results of this study clearly demonstrated that a minimally invasive approach using robotic-assisted surgery has advantages in terms of body image, self-esteem, and cosmetic outcomes over the conventional approach in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.