FDA Approves "da Vinci Surgical System" for Minimally Invasive Surgeries

Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the global leader in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery, has developed their new "da Vinci® Xi^TM Surgical System," which was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today. 

The da Vinci system aims to assist surgeons performing complex, yet minimally invasive procedures. Previous Intuitive Surgical products have contributed to over 1.5 million minimally invasive surgeries. The FDA's announcement spurred an 8% increase of the company's stock this morning on the Nasdaq.

"Our goal is to develop technology that enhances surgical performance," said Gary Guthart, Intuitive Surgical President and Chief Executive Officer. "The da Vinci Xi System's new overhead architecture means that multi-quadrant surgery can be performed without repositioning the system, an innovation long sought by surgeons who perform complex procedures," he added in a press release.

Besides the new overhead architecture, the latest da Vinci surgical system also features a new endoscope digital architecture, the ability to attach the endoscope to any arm, smaller and thinner arms, and longer instrument shafts. All of these features are significant advancements since the da Vinci system's last upgrade in 2009. They all aim to drastically improve the intricacies of complex surgery.

The company hopes to educate hospitals, surgeons, and patients about their latest product in order to inform them of the benefits, risks, and alternatives. With FDA clearance, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. can now market their newest product. With the system's many uses, including prostatectomy and hysterectomy surgeries, the company plans to see promising sales despite hospital budget constraints.

Its additional features are projected to enhance cost-effectiveness for both hospital and health care costs. The da Vinci® Xi^TM Surgical System is expected to reduce the length of hospital stays, result in fewer complications, decrease the need for blood transfusions, lower rates of infection, decrease hospital re-admissions, and quickly return patients to normal activity following surgery.

To read more about Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and their new da Vince system, visit this Reuters news article.