The surgical robots multiply but are, by now, many to question their efficacy and opportunity and to wonder if "the game is worth the candle", if, that is, the cost-benefit ratio is in favor of the latter.
Also denounced the high cost of the devices chargeable - according to some "to a limited competition which, however, could, in the short term, diminish" (AFP, Thomas Samson 12.04.2019 in Sciences et Avenir).
(by Nicola Simonetti) “Undoubtedly - said to APF, prof. Alaa El Ghoneimi, head of visceral surgery and pediatric urology, osp. Robert-Debron - this robot-assisted surgery helps us reach an organ at a distance from our eyes and puts an end to the great physical effort associated with performing a long surgery ”. “Furthermore - adds dr Annabel Paye-Jaouen, from the same team -“ the surgical gesture is facilitated thanks to the possibility, allowed by the robot, with its 360-degree movable arms, to perform much wider movements with less effort ”.
In 20 years, the US Intuitive Surgical group has installed over 4.800 robots of the da Vinci type (world market, in 2018: 3,9 billion dollars), which have allowed the execution of more than 6 million surgeries, of which one million in 2018.
“Robot-assisted surgery - Dominique Letourneau, president of the Fondation de l'Avenir pour la recherche médicale appliquée, tells AFP - does not demonstrate significant efficacy compared to traditional surgery. There are no clinical studies that demonstrate a real added value ".
“With this assistance - dissents Bertin Nahum, founder of Quantum Surgical, a surgical robotics company in Montpellier - we have more reliability than the surgical act”.
It is above all the cost that slows down the spread of surgical robots bearing in mind, among other things, that, traditional or robot-assist, the intervention is always paid at the same rate.
It is expected that equipment costs will be reduced as competition is being organized and large international companies are falling in the sector.