Only a limited number of publications report on multi-dimensional assessment of the learning curve, including operating time, conversion rate, intra-operative complications, and post-operative complications in a new integrated surgical technique [ 13– 17].
Surgical outcomes included operating time, estimated blood loss, conversion to laparotomy, intraoperative and postoperative complications and duration of inpatient stay.
Perioperative parameters included operating time, blood loss, blood transfusion, conversion to laparotomy, complications related to surgery, course of serum β-hCG titers, length of hospital stay after surgery, and other adverse effects.
The final elements of comparison are perioperative statistics including operating time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and adverse events.
End points included operating time, conversion rate, reoperation rate, hospital stay, morbidity, quality of life, and costs.
Case report series suggest that this is the case, but there is variation in how learning curves are reported, although most include operating time, blood loss, and rates of positive margins.
Procedure characteristics included operating time (in minutes, skin-to-skin), blood loss (in millilitres), length of hospital stay (in days, from day of procedure), complications and conversion to laparotomy.
The outcomes of interest included operating time, postoperative length of hospital stay, resumption time of normal activities and diet, and postoperative pain (assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) graded from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the most intense pain).
However without access to detailed specifications of individual radar units (including operational times and operating frequency) it is difficult to quantify this relationship further.
Resources included operating room time, equipment, as well as other health care professionals.
