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This study aims to describe the present status of robotic surgery (RS) in Latin America. A cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting data from 10 robotic programs in 6 Latin American countries through surveys of surgical specialists and heads of surgical services. The utilization of RS in Latin America exhibits significant variability depending on the specific country and healthcare facilities. This variability encompasses factors such as the annual volume of surgeries, the types of institutions involved, and the primary medical specialties employing this technology. Concerted efforts within the region to augment scientific research output about robotic procedures are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of robotic surgery throughout the world, particularly in Latin America, justifies an objective evaluation of research in this field. This study aimed to use bibliometric techniques to identify the research trends and patterns of robotic surgery in Latin America. The research strategy used the terms "Robotic," "Surgery," and the name of all the Latin American countries, in all fields and collections of Web of Science database. Only original articles published between 2009 and 2022 were included. The software Rayyan, Bibliometric in the R Studio, and VOSViewer were used to develop the analyses. After screening, 96 articles were included from 60 different journals. There was a 22.51% annual increase in the scientific production of robotic surgery in the period studied. The more frequent topics by specialty were: Urology (35.4%), General Surgery (34.4%), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (12%). International cooperation was observed in 65.62% of the studies. The Latin American institution with the highest production of manuscripts was the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Mexico, Chile, and Brazil were, in descending order, the nations with the highest number of corresponding authors and total citations. When considering the total number of articles, Brazil ranked ahead of Chile. Scientific production regarding robotic surgery in Latin America has experienced accelerated growth since its beginning, supported by the high degree of collaboration with leading countries in the field., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)