The Medical Device Business Journal — Medical Device News & Articles | MassDevice
Welcome to MassDevice's Surgical Robotics Hub, your resource for the latest news and insights on all things robotic surgery. Stay informed about the innovations and business news shaping the industry.
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Here are top surgical robotic features from MassDevice and its sister publications (and scroll down to read the latest cardiology device news from MassDevice):
+ The top 10 surgical robotics stories of the year so far
+ Intuitive details da Vinci 5 launch plans with limited supply of next-gen surgical robotics systems
+ 10 surgical robotics companies you need to know
+ The secret behind Intuitive’s surgical robotics success
+ Surgical robotics trends and how to accelerate adoption
+ How surgical robotics safety systems prevent patient harm
+ These surgical robotics arms are destined for the trash — by design
Who will tell the men?
That’s what I wondered last week when I read the abstract about prostate cancer patients’ grim prognosis for normal sexual activity after surgery or radiation for their disease. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Mako Surgical Corp.’s (NSDQ:MAKO) commercial launch of the RIO surgical robotic arm for hip replacement surgery won some love from analysts and investors on Wall Street today.
Shares jumped 7 percent to $38.76 in mid-day trading, after closing at $36.27 Friday, with analysts at Leerink Swann noting that MAKO shares are outperforming the market today.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE:BSX) and American Medical Systems Holdings Inc. (NSDQ:AMMD) found themselves at the center of a lawsuit claiming that transvaginal mesh products sold by the companies were defective and caused severe injuries to a patient.
The complaint cited mesh complications leading to body tissue erosion, a propensity to harbor infection and a tendency to migrate from the original implant site.
Robotic cardiac surgical systems maker Stereotaxis, Inc. (NSDQ:STXS) watched its share price plunge hard and fast as it suspended 2011 guidance on a weak second quarter earnings report.
Shares sank 58 percent from Monday’s close of $2.85 to $1.19 at the end of the day yesterday, inching toward the company’s 52-week low of $1.11.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Insulin pumps and other wireless medical devices may be vulnerable to software attacks, security experts noted at a computer security conference in Las Vegas today.
Security expert Jay Radcliffe, who is himself a diabetic, found that his insulin pump could be altered to respond to remote control operation that modified insulin flow.
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NSDQ:ISRG) announced another expectation-defying quarter, reporting a 21 percent jump in sales and a 32 percent leap in profits for the second quarter ended June 30.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company posted earnings of $117.4 million on $425.7 million in sales for the quarter, compared to $88.7 million on $350.7 million in sales during the same period last year. That translates into a 33 percent jump for diluted earnings per share, which rose to $2.91 from $2.19 during Q2 2010.
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Most hospitals touting the superiority of their robotic surgery systems do so without evidence, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The rapid increase of robots in the operating room has challengers questioning the adoption of the costly technology without evidence that the new systems represent an improvement over existing methods.
Advocates of robotic surgery claim the machines provide a clearer view and enable more precise movements, but health outcomes are comparable to other approaches.
Mazor Robotics Ltd. (TASE:MZOR) unveiled its new Renaissance device, the next generation of its spinal robotic surgical guidance systems technology, which extend potential applications to more complex spine surgeries.
The new system is built on the core of the previous generation SpineAssist technology, which has been successfully used in more than 2,000 surgeries worldwide, accurately placing more than 12,000 implants, according to company officials.
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NSDQ:ISRG) reported another stellar year, posting a 64 percent increase in profits on the back of continued strong sales of the company’s da Vinci Surgical Systems.
NovoSurge develops robotic sternum cracker: When performing open heart surgery, there’s this pesky thing called the sternum between doctors and their pulsating target. The tried-and-true solution to this conundrum is to saw that baby open, which is brutal if you’re watching, and incredibly fun if you’re performing the task. Once finished with the cardiac procedure, the two halves of the chest the surgeon has created are tied back together with either wires or cables, which is a relatively secure but not a perfect fixation.There are a couple of issues that this practice poses.
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NSDQ:ISRG) crushed year-ago comparisons and blew through analyst expectations for the quarter, posting a $89 million profit during the three months ended June 30 on $351 million in revenues.
But in the “What have you done for me lately?” category, shares of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based maker of robotic surgical tools were taking a pounding in after-market trading July 21 — falling nearly 8 percent at one point — after Intuitive executives didn’t raise their revenue forecast as much as Wall Street had hoped.
