Transitioning from open to robotic lung surgery

Robotic lobectomy has grown considerably since its introduction over a decade ago. At its inception, a few surgeons took up the challenge of learning this new paradigm. In the subsequent years, new training pathways have been introduced along with simulation, mentorship, video review and tele-mentoring. This has allowed open surgeons to transition to robotic lobectomy but little data exists to provide open surgeons an understanding of what occurs as ones adopts this technique. In this chapter, we will provide some personal perspective about our transition and then review the data around key issues for the predominantly open surgeon contemplating transitioning to robotic lung resection.