Description
Computer-based technologies offer significant potential for improving the clinical outcomes of patients. Computer software and hardware, as well as the systems they control, have begun to impact the manner in which surgeons design, plan, simulate and perform surgery. In the last few years, automated and computer-assisted techniques have found increased use in surgical procedures as tools for performing difficult neurosurgery, cranio-facial surgery and some orthopedic procedures. These techniques give the surgeon more advanced capabilities than were available previously, such as preoperative planning and surgical navigation, using computer-generated images and data.
Financial pressure created from the increasingly competitive managed care environment has forced health care administrators to rethink the way they deliver care, and the way they strategically invest in technology. They have been forced to keep an eye on the bottom line while attempting to offer quality care. In their effort to reduce costs, their primary efforts have been to re-engineer work flow and to strategically reduce materials and supply costs. The onset of computer-assisted surgery promises to help them do just that.
This market briefing from Kalorama provides estimates of the worldwide market for computer-and robotic surgical systems through 2008 with regional geographic breakdown of revenues and estimated 2004 competitive market share. The report emphasizes the future health care markets for software, navigational systems and robotics. The report generally reviews the nature and direction of research, as well as future markets. This briefing also profiles several companies involved in marketing or developing such products in the field, including Accuray, Armstrong Healthcare, BrainLAB, Intuitive Surgical and Medtronic.
