Robotic surgery: applications and cost effectiveness

Abstract

Robotic surgery has been embraced by many surgical specialties and is being incorporated into an ever growing number of surgical procedures within those specialties. The outcomes and cost data that are available varies greatly between fields. This review examines the history of robotic surgery, the advantages and disadvantages of this technology followed by the applications of robotic surgery in the fields of: urology, gynecology, pediatric surgery and general surgery. Finally, the cost data from the fields of urology and pediatric surgery are reviewed and used to create a model to evaluate the financial impact of a surgical robot on a hospital.