Article preview from Medtech Insight - July, 2012
In this second part of our two-part series on minimally invasive surgery, we discuss technologies that are expanding the scope of MIS, including robotics, flexible laparoscopy, and 3-D visualization systems. We also look at how manufacturers are addressing the growing market for reprocessed medical devices.
Article preview from Medtech Insight - July, 2012
As device innovators work to expand the scope of minimally invasive surgical techniques into increasingly more complex surgical procedures, they face a number of challenges – chief among them, many surgeons’ lack of awareness and training in advanced laparoscopic techniques. As a result, manufacturers in this field are developing new products that make it easier for the average surgeon to perform minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in more complex situations. Several product platforms are being advanced to meet this need, including robotic systems, flexible laparoscopy, and 3-D visualization systems, all aimed at making MIS safer and more accessible to surgeons while improving the value proposition that MIS offers to hospitals. The latter aim is an important one, as today’s financially strained hospitals place a strong emphasis on value and cost/benefit when evaluating new products and processes; one reason why the device reprocessing industry has seen a resurgence of late. As device manufacturers face increasing pressure to prove the value of their product innovations, they are responding with a variety of interesting tactics designed to meet the environmental and economic needs of providers while addressing shifting market dynamics and growing competition from reprocessed single-use devices.
One company well positioned to meet the new MIS challenge is Intuitive Surgical Inc., manufacturer of the da Vinci Surgical System, the only commercially available surgical robot in the US. Of all the MIS technologies on the market today, surgical robots are probably the best suited for enabling surgeons to perform very complex open procedures via a MIS approach, as the technology is specifically designed to enhance surgeon visualization, precision, dexterity, and control.
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Medtech Insight newsletter provides insights into the technology and market developments (devices, instrumentation, biomaterials, gene therapy, tissue engineering, etc.) impacting a wide range of surgical and non-surgical clinical practices.
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