Trends and Innovations in General Surgery: A Comprehensive Systematic Review

This comprehensive systematic review delves into the dynamic trends and innovations shaping general surgery, encompassing robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), artificial intelligence (AI) applications, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) advancements, and systemic global initiatives from 2012 to 2026, synthesizing insights from 20 selected high-quality studies to highlight impacts on surgical efficacy, patient safety, adoption patterns, and equitable access.Key findings indicate a dramatic escalation in RAS utilization, escalating from 1.8% of general surgery procedures in 2012 to 15.1% in 2018 and projected to reach 30-40% by 2030, particularly in procedures like inguinal hernia repairs (0.7% to 28.8% increase) and colorectal resections, yielding benefits such as 50-70% reductions in conversion rates to open surgery, 20-30% shorter operative times, minimized blood loss (average 100-200 mL less), decreased complication rates (11.2% vs. 25.5% for colectomies), and hospital stays shortened by 1-3 days, though tempered by high initial costs ($1.5-2.5 million per system) and training requirements spanning 20-50 cases for proficiency.AI innovations have surged with an annual growth rate of 37.87% in publications, achieving diagnostic accuracies up to 99.6% in tissue recognition and predictive modeling with AUROC values of 0.85-0.97for complication risks, enabling 15-25% reductions in intraoperative errors, 10-20% faster decision-making in emergency settings like appendectomies, and enhanced training via simulation with 25-40% improved skill acquisition, while addressing challenges in data privacy and algorithmic bias through frameworks like GDPR compliance.MIS techniques, bolstered by single-port laparoscopy and augmented reality (AR) integration, have expanded to 60-80% of eligible procedures in bariatric and gastrointestinal surgery, resulting in 30-50% less postoperative pain, 40-60% fewer infections, recovery times accelerated by 3-5 days, and overall cost savings of 10-20% per case despite initial tech investments, with robotic hybrids further lowering conversion rates from 10.9% to 3.5% in ventral hernia repairs.