Artificial intelligence in surgery—a narrative review

Abstract

Background and Objective: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into surgical practice has the potential to dramatically improve patient care, offering newfound opportunities to enhance precision, efficiency, and outcomes. This narrative review aims to comprehensively explore AI’s role in surgery, evaluating current applications and projecting future trajectories while addressing the ethical, legal, and practical challenges accompanying its implementation. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases, including articles published within the last 9 years [2016–2024]. Original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and expert opinion pieces exploring AI’s applications, implications, and challenges in surgical settings were included. Key Content and Findings: AI-enabled technologies augment surgeons’ preoperative planning, intraoperative guidance, and postoperative care capabilities. Enhanced preoperative planning through AI-driven risk assessment and 3D modeling allows for more informed decision-making. Intraoperative AI applications, such as real-time imaging analysis and robotic assistance, improve precision and minimize complications. In the postoperative phase, AI enables personalized recovery monitoring, early complication detection, and long-term follow-up. However, integrating AI in surgery presents complex ethical challenges related to accountability, bias, confidentiality, and decision-making. The impact of AI extends to surgical education, offering personalized learning experiences and objective skill assessments. Strategies for safe and effective integration of AI in surgery include establishing robust safety protocols, conducting prospective clinical trials, training surgeons as AI end-users, and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration. Conclusions: The evolution of AI in surgery represents a transformative journey that has reshaped the surgical landscape. Realizing AI’s full potential requires ongoing research, innovation, and collaboration to address technical, ethical, and organizational challenges. By aligning technological advancements with patient welfare, ethics, and the core values of medicine, we can harness AI’s power to elevate the standard of surgical care and improve patient outcomes worldwide.

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