If you have had one of a variety of different surgeries – including prostate or gallbladder removal or a hysterectomy – in recent years, you have likely been informed about the increasingly common use of robots during operations. In fact, just last year, approximately 367,000 operations were performed in which robots were used across the country.<\/p>\n
This represents a sharp increase in the number of surgeries using robots performed in the U.S. – in 2008, there were only around 114,000 such operations conducted. These operations are still controlled by surgeons, but the physicians are able to use a robot called da Vinci – made by Intuitive Surgical Inc. – to make the incisions and perform the actual operation.<\/p>\n