Intuitive Sets Pace In A Robotics Segment Where Ortho Players Are Finding Their Feet

23 Jul 2018

For hospitals, orthopedic capabilities might seem like an arms race – they do not want to be left behind the curve when rivals are tooling up. Patients may have positive views of the technology, even if data on clinical benefits is not yet available in great volumes. So says Jefferies Healthcare equity analyst Raj Denhoy, who believes it is not a done deal for health care robotics just yet.

Intuitive Surgical Inc. and its da Vinci technology have blazed a trial for robotic-assisted minimally-invasive surgery in five surgical specialties (gynecologic surgery, urologic surgery, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and head and neck surgery) since the first US FDA approval in 2000. The group is the global technology leader, with 4,528 installed locations as of the end of the second quarter in 2018, and a fast-growing reputation in key procedures such as prostatectomy, hernia repair, colon and rectal procedures.

Orthopedics is not on that list, but all of the major orthopedic groups look set to have robotic capabilities, at...