Jun Hou, Managing Director of Fosun International, said "This is the first conference of its kind that I have been to, which is solely devoted to surgery. Attendees had a chance to ask some burning questions that they have never been able to ask their peers in a very intimate setting."

Kevin Vigilante, Chief Medical Officer, Booz Allen Hamilton, said "(Digital surgery) is the third inflection point in surgery, the first inflection was sepsis, the second was anaesthesia, harnessing the power of data will be third inflection point."


Prof Jaap Bonjer, Chair and Professor of Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centre and CEO, Amsterdam Skills Centre for Health Sciences, said "The conference has been excellent. It has been a fantastic interface between surgeons, industry and the financial sector."

Michael Yip, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, said "Wonderful collection of experts in robotics, automation and clinical practice."

About surgery and digital surgery

Every year in the United States (US), more than 60 million surgical procedures are performed, of which 20 million are invasive.1 This means, more than 100 procedures are performed every minute. In the US alone, the surgical market is estimated to be 1 trillion USD.2

However, on the global scale, demand outstrips supply. It is estimated that 5 billion people lack access to safe and timely surgery. Every year, 18.6 million people die due to lack of access to surgical care.3

Digital surgery, the next frontier of surgery, is defined as the convergence of surgical technology, real-time data and intelligence. Following previous waves of disruption, which saw the transition from open to laparoscopic surgery, and from laparoscopic surgery to robotic surgery, the digital paradigm in surgery is bringing unprecedented changes to the century-old field. Up to now, continuous improvements in surgical tools have allowed for technically improved procedures − smaller incisions, translating to reduced patient recovery times; better access to deep and angled spaces within the body; more precise maneuvers; and 3D visualization. The power of linked data and advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are beginning to make a real impact in the way surgeries are performed, reducing well-documented variability in surgical process and outcomes.

Companies, investors, surgeons and health systems are racing to accelerate the digitization of surgery in order to dramatically improve patient outcomes whilst reducing cost and inefficiencies; improve patient access; reduce inequities between populations; improve quality; and deliver more personalized surgical care. With increased funding pressures across global health systems and the introduction of value-based care in some markets, stakeholders across the public and private sectors view digital surgery as the next apex in surgery.

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