3 Ways Robotic Surgery Is Changing Health Care This Year

About four months ago, the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital expanded their partnership with Medical Microinstruments Inc. (MMI) to bring the company’s Symani Surgical System to the academic medical center.

MMI states that the robotic surgical device pushes the limits of soft-tissue open surgery, giving surgeons greater precision and control. It also gives surgeons the chance to restore the quality of life for more patients, including those with cancer-related lymphedema (swelling of body tissues due to lymph fluid buildup) who need microvascular and lymphatic repair.

Cleveland Clinic, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles also are using the system.

The Expanding Reach of Surgical Robotics

Specialized uses like this illustrate the ever-expanding applications of robotic surgery platforms as health care providers continue to leverage the technology to reduce surgical complications, improve safety, shorten recovery times for patients, reduce length of stay and more.

At the same time, robotic surgery platforms like Intuitive Surgical’s pioneering da Vinci system and its latest offering, da Vinci 5, competing systems from Stryker, Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson are broadening their capabilities in operating rooms.

Since gaining the first FDA clearance nearly 25 years ago, da Vinci robots now are routinely used in many laparoscopic soft-tissue procedures, including cardiac, urologic, gynecologic and general surgeries. The company reports that about 2.63 million surgical procedures were performed in the U.S. last year using da Vinci systems — a 17% increase from 2023.

Artificial intelligence (AI) also is being integrated into robotic surgery devices to automate surgical tasks like suturing or tissue dissection. These systems aim to improve consistency and reduce surgeon workload, notes an August 2024 NIH report.

3 Ways The Robotic Surgery Market Will Change This Year

1 | Competition will heat up.

After long enjoying an overwhelming market share, Intuitive is facing more competitors this year. Not only is the competition coming from well-established medtech companies like Stryker, Medtronic and J&J, but also from new market entrants with specialty applications and modular concepts with smaller devices that are easier to move around.

In October, CMR Surgical received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing approval for its Versius Surgical System to be used in gall bladder removal cases in adults.

Other surgical robotics companies to receive FDA authorization over the past year include Distalmotion, Medical Microinstruments, Moon Surgical, Procept BioRobotics and Virtual Incision.

2 | Look for expanded use of surgical robots in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).

There has been a rush to install orthopedic robots in ASCs, and that trend will continue this year as large-joint replacement continues to grow, Morningstar analyst Debbie Wang recently told MedTech Dive. Stryker and Zimmer Biomet are adding shoulder features to their surgical robots, the report notes. Spine surgery also has the potential to benefit from an expanding focus on robotics, according to Wang.

Jeffrey Brand, executive director at global architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman, recently told ASC News that his firm established a 16-surgical-suite ambulatory center focused on robotic surgery for cancer patients. And Saum Sutaria, M.D., CEO of Tenet Health, said on a recent earnings call that he sees significant room for expansion of services that can be offered in the ambulatory surgery setting and that robotics will be part of that shift.

3 | AI will continue to play a larger role in surgical robots.

Stryker’s Mako Shoulder robotic surgical assistant for shoulder replacement and Mako Spine for spine-replacement surgeries use an AI technology called Blueprint that helps surgeons better understand shoulder deformities and their patients’ pathology to predict potential challenges and evaluate different implant options.

Intuitive Surgical has an AI tool for the da Vinci 5 called Case Insights that can analyze surgical procedures and provide surgeons with post-surgical feedback on the part of the procedure that takes the longest and the areas where the movements aren’t as smooth or fluid.

In the future, the company wants to provide surgeons with feedback in real time, Brian Miller, executive vice president and chief digital officer at the company, recently told Modern Healthcare.