Table 4.
Costs of material used during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair with a conventional or robot-assisted approach
| Cost (€) * | Costing 1 (€) | Costing 2 (€) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional IHR | |||
| Instrument or item | No fixation | Stapler fixation | |
| Veress needle | 18.3 | 1 | 1 |
| Trocar kit (11 mm and 2×5 mm) | 203.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Set of 2 reusable graspers | 115.1 | 1 | 1 |
| Laparoscopic scissors | 47.8 | 1 | 1 |
| Reusable needle-driver | – | 1 | 1 |
| Glue | 290.0 | ||
| Stapler | 376.2 | 1 | |
| Total instrument cost | 384.4 | 760.6 | |
| Δ with government reimbursement at €716 | +331.6 | −44.6 | |
| Robotic IHR | |||
| Instrument or item | 2 instruments | 3 instruments | |
| Hot shears curved scissors | 387.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Tip cover | 24.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Large needle-driver | 266.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Fenestrated bipolar forceps | 326.7 | 1 | |
| ProGrasp™ forceps | 266.2 | ||
| Arm drape | 62.9 | 3 | 3 |
| Column drape | 21.8 | ||
| Universal seal (5–8 mm) | 18.1 | 3 | 3 |
| Reusable grasper | 24.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Total instrument cost | 944.8 | 1271.5 | |
| Δ with government reimbursement at €716 | −228.8 | −555.5 |
*Mean cost per patient. Da Vinci® ProGrasp™ forceps (Intuitive, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). IHR, inguinal hernia repair.
This retrospective comparative study analysed 676 patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: 272 conventional and 404 robotic repairs. Robotic repair was significantly more expensive than conventional laparoscopy, but allowed more patients to be operated on an outpatient basis. Postoperative complications were infrequent and mild, with a slightly higher readmission rate for laparoscopic repairs.