Johnson & Johnson Robots To Assist In Surgery

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A robotic assisted surgery platform is the goal of a team comprised of Johnson & Johnson, Google, and device company Ethicon.

Johnson & Johnson has announced it will be entering the world of robotically assisted surgery. It plans to accomplish this by pairing its medical device company, Ethicon, with Google to create a robotic assisted surgical platform.

“Robotic-assisted surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery that uses technology to give surgeons greater control, access and accuracy during the surgical procedure while benefitting patients by minimizing trauma and scarring, enabling accelerated post-surgical healing,” explains a press release. “The companies seek to develop new robotic tools and capabilities for surgeons and operating room professionals that integrate best-in-class medical device technology with leading-edge robotic systems, imaging and data analytics.”

“For more than 60 years, Ethicon has developed products and technologies that have transformed the way surgery is done,” said Gary Pruden, Worldwide Chairman, Global Surgery Group, Johnson & Johnson. “This collaboration with Google is another important step in our commitment to advancing surgical care, and together, we aim to put the best science, technology and surgical know-how in the hands of medical teams around the world.”

New innovation is certainly welcome in the field of robotically assisted surgery, since several studies have pointed out the hazards of such technology. A study from Johns Hopkins suggested that adverse events that occur during robotic operations are underreported, attributing a false sense of success to the technology. "Of the one million or so robotic surgeries performed since 2000, only 245 complications - including 71 deaths - were reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” explained researchers.