Robotic-assisted surgery becomes more mainstream at US health systems

The news: A surgical team at NYU Langone Health successfully completed the world’s first fully robotic double-lung transplant.

• The procedure was performed in October on a 57-year-old woman with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Surgeons guided the FDA-cleared da Vinci Xi robotic system to remove each lung, prepare the surgical site, and then implant new lungs.
• The robotic system’s flexibility enables smaller incisions between the ribs than what’s possible with human hands.

Zooming out: The use of robotic technology for all general surgery procedures at US hospitals increased from 1.8% in 2012 to 15.1% in 2018, per research in JAMA Network Open.

• Some of the most common robotic-assisted procedures include gallbladder removal surgeries, appendectomies, colectomies, and hernia repairs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The final word: Even as robotic surgery starts to become mainstream, most consumers still lack a clear understanding of how it works.

• Just 15% of patients who were planned for robotic-assisted surgery understood how the procedure and its risks differ from other surgical approaches, according to a 2020 study.

Healthcare marketers should educate the public on the benefits of robotic surgery as more patients shop around for surgical procedures based on factors such as cost, quality, and reviews.

• For example, patients may be inclined to opt for robotic-assisted surgery if they understand that it is minimally invasive and results in less bleeding and fewer complications due to more precise incisions.

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