Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

ObservationalJournal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia· Feb 2026

Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

John A Kucera, Fintan Hughes, Seth E M Wolf … Natalia Diaz-Rodriguez

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AnesthesiologyObservationalQ2IF 1.6

77.8% of children were extubated in the operating room after robot-assisted cardiac surgery.

Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

John A Kucera … Natalia Diaz-Rodriguez

Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia · Feb 2026 · Q2 in Anesthesiology

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe a cohort of pediatric patients undergoing robot-assisted cardiac surgery at a single center and to discuss the anesthetic implications and perioperative considerations to optimize outcomes.

Methods

Academic tertiary care medical center.

n = 8

77.8%

Results

77.8%

most children had their breathing tube removed right after surgery, not later in the ICU

n = 8

More results

Mean (SD) age was 13.1 (2.5) years, mean (SD) weight was 48.5 (20.3) kg, and mean (SD) body mass index was 21.7 (5.4) kg/m 2 .

Mean (SD) operative time was 388.2 (40.7) minutes, fibrillation time was 92.4 (25.8) minutes, and cardiopulmonary bypass time was 192.1 (31.3) minutes.

More results

The median (IQR) intensive care unit length of stay was 45 (26) hours, and the median (IQR) hospital stay was 3 (2.5) days.

One patient required conversion to median sternotomy due to aortic insufficiency in the setting of Marfan syndrome and aortic root dilation.

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

Robot-assisted cardiac surgery is well tolerated in appropriately selected pediatric patients, including children as small as 24 kg.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

Our experience suggests that the success of this approach is predicated upon a center with institutional experience and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

Furthermore, it is critical that the anesthesiologist understands the unique anatomic, airway, monitoring, positioning, and surgical considerations that are unique for this patient population.

Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

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