Era of Robotics Beginning to Take Shape in Healthcare Industry

Business Wire, May 28, 2008

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- The introduction of image-guided and robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has sparked a revolution in the practice of medicine. The industry shift toward minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures has taken a step further with the advent of these sophisticated systems. These systems essentially allow surgeons to successfully perform high-risk procedures in the smallest of anatomy; procedures that were nearly impossible a decade ago.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.medicaldevices.frost.com), U.S. Image-guided and Robot-assisted Surgery Markets, finds that the market earned revenues of $813.0 million in 2007 and estimates this to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25.8 percent between 2008 and 2014.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview of the U.S. Image-guided and Robot-assisted Surgery Markets, please send an e-mail to Stacie Kopecki, Corporate Communications, at skopecki_pr@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.

"Precise motion control systems coupled with newer high-resolution image-guidance software has dramatically improved the accuracy of planning and executing complex surgical procedures," notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Manager Venkat Rajan. "Another significant advantage these systems have over traditional approaches is that they drastically limit the amount of blood loss, reduce procedure time, and improve recovery time."

The seemingly expanding applicability of robotic systems in addressing various diseases is raising interest among large healthcare facilities. Robotic systems, such as the Da Vinci system, are being investigated and tested for multiple surgical applications, ranging from hysterectomies to cardiac by-pass surgery. Furthermore, hospitals currently have the infrastructure to support these high-tech systems. Networks to stream video, transfer files, incorporate and store high-resolution body scans, software capable of identifying trouble areas, and motion control intelligence to account for tremors are on par with the advances in hardware at present.

Adding a new system such as robotics forces the surgeon to reassess all of their traditional approaches. The techniques and procedures that have been practiced for years essentially become outmoded.

"Hospital costs are spiraling out of control, and efforts to control these costs are likely to be a major restraint on the purchase of new expensive equipment," says Rajan. "RAS systems can be priced above $1.5 million for the capital equipment alone and navigation systems such as Stereotaxis' Niobe system cardiac catheter system are sold at an approximate price of $700,000."

Given that the capital costs for a robotics or image-guided surgery system can exceed $1 million, it is important for companies to sell the worth of their systems to the administrative decision makers at hospitals. A hospital deciding whether to add a new MRI/CT scanner or a robotic assist system might decide to wait on the robotics, assuming it is something they will use more in the future than at present. Proving that surgical robotics is cost effective, improves clinical success and a broad number of clinical applications involving minimum training periods can help expedite the market adoption of systems.

U.S. Image-guided and Robot-assisted Surgery Markets is part of the Medical Devices Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the following markets: U.S. Carotid and Intracranial Devices, U.S. Peripheral Stents and Stent Grafts, U.S. Congestive Heart Failure Devices Market, and U.S. Cardiac Surgery Markets. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

U.S. Image-guided and Robot-assisted Surgery Markets

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