Stryker, a provider orthopaedic implants as well as medical and surgical equipment, has reported that its communications business unit and Intuitive Surgical have signed an agreement to integrate both companies’ technologies into advanced minimally invasive (MIS) robotic surgery suites.

Stryker and Intuitive Surgical have said that through the collaboration, operating rooms containing the da Vinci Si robot and SwitchPoint Infinity Control System will provide surgeons and OR staff more flexibility and additional information during each surgical procedure.

By integrating Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Si robot into a Stryker iSuite, images and video can be transmitted throughout the operating room and into the surgeon’s console. The TilePro feature of the da Vinci Si robot allows multiple high definition (HD) images from the Stryker Integration System to be accessed simultaneously during a surgical procedure.

The HD images are also routed to other ceiling- and wall-mounted monitors within the OR to keep staff informed and engaged. By placing the da Vinci Si surgical equipment on a ceiling-mounted boom, cables are removed from the floor and valuable space is freed up within the sterile field. In addition, through Stryker’s connectivity, hospitals have the ability to share robotic surgical footage within and outside the hospital campus for remote teaching applications.

Intuitive Surgical said that the construction of a da Vinci Si integrated iSuite is currently underway at the company’s training lab in Sunnyvale, California. At this demonstration facility, surgeons will be able to experience Intuitive’s da Vinci Si System within a Stryker Integrated Operating Room.

Spencer Stiles, general manager of Stryker, said: “The collaboration between Stryker and Intuitive Surgical demonstrates both companies’ commitment to the advancement of minimally invasive surgery. Intuitive’s robotics platform, in conjunction with Stryker’s diverse offering for the integrated operating room, provide customers the products and experience necessary to successfully complete these challenging projects.”