Cost comparisons between laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, 2012-2019 (USD Thousands)
SurgJournal
07 Mar 2023
Robotic surgeries are becoming increasingly popular in various surgical fields. While gastrectomies, the most expensive among the above procedures, show only a 2% difference in cost between robotic and laparoscopic methods, other surgeries exhibit wider cost disparities. A robotic hysterectomy costs 16% more, left colectomy and VHR 20% more, and a cholecystectomy nearly 38% more. Opting for a robotic surgery provides benefits like shorter recovery times and fewer complications due to higher precision and less invasiveness. However, the higher costs might only be attractive to high-income patients where benefits outweigh costs. The use of medical robots significantly reduces human errors in a surgical procedure. In 2023, a collaborative preclinical trial involving clinician-scientists from Japan and Singapore assessed the viability of robotic telesurgery. The trial, conducted by a Singaporean surgical team at Singaporeโs National University Hospital, remotely performed a gastrectomy at Nagoya, Japan, spanning a distance of 5,000km. Initial findings indicated minimal time lag and transmission delay, demonstrating the potential for cross-border and long-distance robotic tele-surgeries.
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