This is our first experience in providing general anaesthesia for robotic-assisted thyroidectomy (RAT). It is rather a
new experience for our anaesthetic team and few issues should be addressed. The conduct of RAT must be fully
understood and familiarized as it may present with few challenges for the anaesthesiologists. The key point of
success during this learning curve period is the importance of teamwork between the anaesthesiologists and the
operating surgeons. The specific anaesthetic challenges include limited access to the patient post-docking of the
robot, the need of extra precautions of the anaesthetic circuit and IV line connections, a vigilant anaesthesiologists
and options for postoperative pain relief.