Intuitive Surgical:
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) is a corporation that manufactures robotic surgical systems, most notably the da Vinci Surgical System. Intuitive Surgical has a market capitalization of 9.77 billion USD and is part of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 400 MidCap Indices. Intuitive Surgical has installed over 946 systems worldwide as of june 2008.
[edit] Brief Chronology
- 1995 The company is founded.
- 1999 Da Vinci Surgical System is introduced.
- 2000 IPO
- 2003 The company merges with Computer Motion, Inc (RBOT).[1]
[edit] da Vinci Surgical System
The first robotic surgical system was developed by Computer Motion of Santa Barbara, CA. Intuitive Surgical is famous for introducing the first robotic surgical system approved by the FDA, the da Vinci Surgical System. Developed in the late 1980s at the former Stanford Research Institute under contract to the U.S. Army, the da Vinci Surgical System allows surgery to be performed remotely using robotic manipulators, and was approved for general laparoscopic surgery in 2000. It was subsequently approved for thoracoscopic surgery, for cardiac procedures performed with adjunctive incisions, and urologic and gynecologic procedures. [2]
A Da VInci Surgical System costs upwards of $1.5 Million dollars. [3] This cost is prohibitive to small rural hospitals, making the Da Vinci system nothing but a dream in certain areas of the country and many parts of the world. Intuitive Surgical is working diligently to reduce cost and make the Da Vinci Surgical System more widely available. At this time there are over 210 Da Vinci Surgical Systems in service at various hospitals. [4] The system's cost is sometimes justified in the fact that it reduces the need for surgical nurses by allowing the robot to do their work. Which per nurse slashes about $80,000 from the payroll.
[edit] Pediatric conditions treated using da Vinci Surgical System
Cardiac
- patent ductus arteriosus[5]
General Surgery
- duodenal stenosis
- gastroesophageal reflux[6] (technology is used during a fundoplication)
- achalasia [7] (surgial procedure is called heller myotomy)
- lung resections (in very small infants)
- complex reconstructions of the biliary system (in very small infants)
Otolaryngology
Urology[9]
- bladder augmentation
- ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction (technique is called pyeloplasty)
- renal surgeries
- blocked ureter due to strictures or stones (ureteral reconstructions)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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