Intuitive Surgical donates da Vinci simulators for research

Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) said today it awarded simulator grants, including da Vinci surgical system surgeon consoles and skills simulators, to 5 U.S. medical centers for researching robotic-assisted surgery training.

The awards went to the University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Intuitive Surgical said.

“As the da Vinci Surgical systems emerge on the forefront of minimally invasive surgery, validation of safe training curricula for residents, fellows, and practicing surgeons will have to be sought with careful, scientific rigor. This grant enables forward-looking programs to develop best-practices for integrating robotics into surgical training,” University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Dr. Shawn Tsuda said in a prepared statement.

Intuitive Surgical received over 50 applications for the grants and finalists were selected for their proposal’s scientific rigor and likelihood to advance the field of surgeon education research, the company said.

“This was an extremely competitive process, with many top institutions choosing to participate. Through these grants, we are positively impacting surgical robotics training and offering surgical residents and community surgeons the opportunity to hone their robotic-assisted surgical skills,” chief medical officer Dr. Myriam Curet said in a press release.

Applicants were urged to focus on specific areas of interest for da Vinci training, including how virtual-reality learned skills translate to inter-operative skills, Intuitive Surgical said.

“Research suggests that surgeons who train using virtual-reality simulation technology improve their skills and efficiency. The goal of this program is for the skills surgeons develop during simulation practice to translate to actual surgery and improved patient outcomes in robotic-assisted surgery,” Curet said in prepared remarks.

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