MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Extra robot hands in the operating room may not be conferring much benefit compared to the increased cost in some cases, according to University of Louisville professor Dr. Resad Pasic.
While robot-assisted surgery has boomed in the 6 years since it was approved for gynecological procedures in 2005, the debate about whether the extra cost is really worth it has heated up as well.
"Robotics will probably be the future of surgery," Dr. Pasic told Family Practice News. "We need to [better understand] what the real advantages are, however, especially for routine laparoscopic hysterectomies, because the cost is higher than traditional laparoscopy and vaginal surgery."
Robot-assisted hysterectomies increase costs by an average of $2,600 per operation, Pasic found, and without offering any overall benefit to patient outcomes.
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