iemailrobi

iemailrobi t1_ir897bp wrote

https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2020/12150/Risk_of_Postoperative_Complications_and_Revision.20.aspx

The other study referenced is national data from insurance claims and vail I dated with another national study using the Medicare database. With thousands of patients and taking all comers it’s a bit difficult to refute, no?

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iemailrobi t1_ir890ad wrote

https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2020/12150/Risk_of_Postoperative_Complications_and_Revision.20.aspx

It’s the pearldiver insurance database and propensity matched with thousands of patients in each cohort. Likely the data is true and complications are in many cases 2-4x higher. Shocking

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iemailrobi t1_ir3qeb2 wrote

No doubt. As the inventor of the TrackX technology, I couldn’t agree with you more that to be effective the robot has to either add functionality that the human doesn’t have (tremor dampening as the Da Vinci does, or simultaneous multi-planer viewing as with TrackX) or take difficult tasks and make them simpler or quicker. Ideally it does all 3. Design is critical. As a rule, less is more and simplicity and resisting adding functionality make a better device. And making people acquire new skills rather than seamlessly merging into their historic workflow is a massive headwind to adoption. Totally agree that we can solve problems when the right engineer appreciates the problem and incorporates these rules of adoption.

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iemailrobi t1_ir3m36s wrote

Great point and for soft tissue work, Da Vinci is unparalleled. Unfortunately to make it so, it is nimble and agile and completely useless for the manual labor that defines orthopedics. It is a testament that if you design something well you often also define it / pigeon hole it. And in the case of orthopedics and spine, these tools aren’t up to the job.

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