Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is the company called Intuitive Surgical®?
A. The Company is called "Intuitive" Surgical because its technologies are designed to allow surgeons to operate with the same skills learned in open surgery, yet with increased precision. The technology maintains a corresponding eye-hand-instrument alignment and intuitive instrument control: As the surgeon twists the controls clockwise, the patient-side cart instruments twist clockwise as well. This "intuitive motion" is the antithesis of laparoscopic surgery, where the surgeon moves the instrument handles in the opposite direction as the instrument tips.
Q. Why is the product called the da Vinci® Surgical System?
A. The product is called "da Vinci" in part because Leonardo da Vinci invented the first robot. He also used unparalleled anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional details to bring his masterpieces to life. The da Vinci Surgical System similarly provides physicians with such enhanced detail and precision that the System can simulate an open surgical environment while allowing operation through tiny incisions.
Q. Is a surgeon using the da Vinci Surgical System operating in "virtual reality"?
A. Although seated at a console a few feet away from the patient, the surgeon views an actual image of the surgical field while operating in real-time, through tiny incisions, using electromechanically enhanced instruments. At no time does the surgeon see a virtual image or program/command the system to perform any maneuver on its own/outside of the surgeon's direct, real-time control.
Q. Is this telesurgery? Can you operate over long distances?
A. The da Vinci Surgical System can theoretically be used to operate over long distances. This capability, however, is not the primary focus of the company and thus is not available with the current da Vinci Surgical System.
Q. Is Intuitive Surgical developing the da Vinci System for telesurgical applications?
Intuitive Surgical's goal is to extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible base of patients. Our strategy to achieve this includes the development of products that allow any physician today to rapidly expand his/her surgical technique and capabilities. Our robotic surgical platforms currently enable surgeons to perform complex procedures using a minimally invasive approach.
In the interest of expediting surgeon training and expanding training programs, we are exploring telesurgery as a way to facilitate surgeon-to-surgeon proctoring and coaching. We see telesurgery as a means to allow surgeons to get up to speed in robotic-assisted surgery under the guidance of leading specialists – with less disruption to their clinical schedules and less impact on their patients.
Q: Where is the da Vinci Surgical System being used now?
A: Currently, The da Vinci Surgical System is currently being used worldwide, in major centers in the United States, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia and Turkey.
Q. While using the da Vinci Surgical System, can the surgeon feel anything inside the patient's chest or abdomen?
A. The system relays force feedback sensations from the operative field back to the surgeon throughout the procedure. Force feedback provides a substitute for tactile sensation.
Q. Is Intuitive's technology patented?
A. Intuitive has an extensive patent portfolio of internally developed technology, as well as a variety of patents acquired or exclusively licensed from leaders in computer-enhanced robotics.
Q. Has the da Vinci Surgical System been cleared by the FDA?
A. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the da Vinci Surgical System for a wide range of procedures. Please see the FDA Clearance page for specific clearances and representative uses.
Q. What is Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS)?
A. MIS is surgery typically performed through small incisions, or operating ports, rather than large incisions, resulting in shorter recovery times, fewer complications, reduced hospitalization costs and reduced trauma to the patient. MIS has become standard-of-care for particular surgical procedures, it has not been widely adopted for more complex or delicate procedures – for example, prostatectomy and mitral valve repair.
Intuitive Surgical believes that surgeons have been slow to adopt MIS for complex procedures because they generally find that fine-tissue manipulation – such as dissecting and suturing – is more difficult and are less precise than in open surgery. Intuitive Surgical's technology, however, enables the use of MIS technique for complex procedures.
Q. Will the da Vinci Surgical System make the surgeon unnecessary?
A. On the contrary, the da Vinci System enables surgeons to be more precise, advancing their technique and enhancing their capability in performing complex minimally invasive surgery. The System replicates the surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own to move in any way or perform any type of surgical maneuver without the surgeon's input.
Q. What are the benefits of using the da Vinci Surgical System over more traditional methods of surgery?
A. Some of the major benefits experienced by surgeons using the da Vinci Surgical System over traditional approaches have been greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced visualization and improved access. Benefits experienced by patients may include a shorter hospital stay, less pain, less risk of infection, less blood loss, fewer transfusions, less scarring, faster recovery and a quicker return to normal daily activities. None of these benefits can be guaranteed, as surgery can be both patient- and procedure-specific.
Q. Is this "robotic surgery?"
A. Devices for "robotic surgery" are designed to perform entirely autonomous movements after being programmed by a surgeon. The da Vinci Surgical System is a computer-enhanced system that interposes a computer between the surgeon's hands and the tips of micro-instruments. The system replicates the surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own to move in any way or perform any type of surgical maneuver. Sometimes, however, the general term "robotic surgery" is used to refer to our technology.
Q. Why can't surgeons perform complex procedures such as cardiac surgery through 1-2 cm ports today?
A. Cardiac surgery requires an excellent view of the operative field and the ability to maneuver instruments within the chest cavity with precision and control. Surgeons historically have used the "open sternotomy" approach to heart surgery, which means splitting the breastbone, pulling back the ribs and typically results in a foot-long incision. This provides visibility and allows room for the surgeon to get his hands and instruments very close to the operative site. More recently, smaller incisions have been used to perform a variety of cardiac procedures. However, many cardiac surgeons feel the reduced access may limit visualization and may impede access to the operative field.
Q: Why isn't Intuitive Surgical getting involved in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences project to develop robotic technology for use on the battlefield?
A: Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci Surgical System could theoretically be used to operate over long distances. However, optimizing the da Vinci System for remote or telesurgery applications is not the primary focus of the company's product design and development efforts, and this capability is not available with the current da Vinci Surgical System.
While the company is supportive of the forward-looking research that SRI is engaged in, Intuitive Surgical is optimizing its products for applications in minimally invasive surgery today. We are committed to the development of products that can extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible range of patients.
Q: What procedures have been performed using the da Vinci Surgical System? What additional procedures are possible?
A: The da Vinci System is a robotic surgical platform designed to enable complex procedures of all types to be performed through 1-2 cm incisions or operating “ports.” To date, tens of thousands of procedures including general, urologic, gynecologic, thoracoscopic, and thoracoscopically-assisted cardiotomy procedures have been performed using the da Vinci Surgical System.
