All posts tagged "Robotic Surgery"

Surgeons in Aalst, Belgium were startled when part of the robot arm of a da Vinci surgery robot broke off inside a patient who was undergoing prostate surgery in 2007. According to New Scientist magazine, that incident and others have sparked a rash of lawsuits against Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the company that makes the surgical robots. This news comes after a recent study by Columbia University researchers found that robotic surgery has no real advantages over live surgeons with proper instruments and training.

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association raises doubts as to whether robotic surgery provides any greater benefits to patients than conventional laparoscopic surgery. According to the Wall Street Journal, use of robotic surgery for hysterectomies has skyrocketed in recent years, and while the procedures cost up to a third more than regular surgery, the study suggests that the benefits are not commensurate to the increase in cost.

(Reuters) - Patients who have robot-assisted surgeries on their kidneys or prostate have shorter hospital stays and a lower risk of having a blood transfusion or dying -- but the bill is significantly higher, a study found.