daVinci Surgical System Fast Facts
- In 2000, the da Vinci Surgical System became the first robotic surgical platform commercially available in the United States to be cleared by the FDA for use in general laparoscopic surgery.
- There are more than 1,700 da Vinci Systems installed in hospitals worldwide.
- More than 775,000 patients worldwide have had a da Vinci procedure.
- da Vinci procedures are performed for a wide range of conditions in specialties including cardiac, urologic, gynecologic, pediatric and general surgery.
- Roughly three out of four prostate cancer surgeries in the U.S. today are performed using da Vinci Surgery.
- More U.S. men choose da Vinci Surgery to treat their prostate cancer than any other treatment.
- More women now choose da Vinci Surgery for minimally invasive hysterectomy than conventional laparoscopy or vaginal surgery.
- Recent studies found that when comparing surgical removal of the prostate to radiation, surgery had the lowest cancer death rate.3,4
- 86% of urology residency programs in the U.S. have a da Vinci System. All 42 gynecologic oncology fellowship programs in the U.S. have a da Vinci System.
Improved Technology for Physicians, Better Outcomes for Patients
The da Vinci System is a remarkable improvement over conventional laparoscopy, in which the surgeon operates while standing and uses hand-held, long-shafted instruments that cannot bend or rotate. With conventional laparoscopy, the surgeon must look up and away from the instruments to a nearby 2D video monitor to see an image of the target anatomy.
The surgeon must also rely on his/her patient-side assistant to position the camera correctly. In contrast, the da Vinci System’s ergonomic design allows the surgeon to operate from a comfortable, seated position at the console, with eyes and hands positioned in line with the instruments. To move the instruments or to reposition the camera, the surgeon simply moves his/her hands.
By providing surgeons with superior vision, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the da Vinci Surgical System makes it possible for more surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures involving complex and delicate dissection or reconstruction.