Our approach to climate action is focused on minimizing carbon impact. We maintain a complete inventory of our carbon sources from our operations and product manufacturing, including purchased metals, plastics, and electronics used to build our da Vinci and Ion products. Understanding our carbon footprint underpins our efforts to identify reduction opportunities and decrease our environmental impact.
Our carbon reduction initiatives are balanced with our long-term growth strategy. For example, we are implementing renewable energy sources and environmentally responsible building and design standards to increase natural resource efficiency and reduce our cost of operations in the long term.
In addition, by expanding robotic-assisted surgery to improve patient outcomes, we seek to reduce the carbon footprint of the patient experience and hospital resource use. Put simply, the most environmentally sustainable and low-carbon method of surgery is the one that offers the quickest recovery and fewest re-interventions.
When considering carbon avoidance, it’s crucial to consider the time spent in the site of care as a whole, both in the operating room (OR) and the recovery setting.
Until now, the study of the carbon footprint from surgery hasn’t been examined beyond the OR. Length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, and readmissions—all proven to be reduced by using the da Vinci system—are important considerations in comparing open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted surgery.
In 2023, Intuitive conducted the first study to quantify the carbon avoidance of the perioperative phase of patient care. By using a combination of clinical evidence and peer-reviewed, published data on the carbon footprint of a hospital room, Intuitive created a carbon avoidance calculator.
The model looks at the resources used in open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted procedures across the patient journey. We use clinical data from a meta-analysis of seven surgical procedures and a literature review of energy use and material waste to calculate carbon avoidance.
The internal findings, based on more than 1.8 million procedures, show that in 2022 alone, da Vinci procedures yielded a carbon avoidance of approximately 55,495 MT CO2e1,2 compared with laparoscopic surgery and approximately 179,207 MT CO2e1,2 compared with open surgery. This topic will continue to be explored in coming years.
Important safety information
For important safety information please refer to www.intuitive.com/safety. For a product’s intended use and/or indications for use, risks, full cautions and warnings, please refer to the associated user manual(s).