Medical device companies – including Sientra, Endologix and Invacare – won loans from the US government’s Paycheck Protection Program, intended to protect jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. In total, nearly 1,400 device makers collected as much as $1.6bn, according to a Medtech Insight analysis of PPP data.

The global market for endoscopic and pelvic surgery procedures is expected to reach $17.7bn in 2023, a CAGR of 6.4%, driven by patients' demand for less invasive surgeries and physicians' preference for minimally invasive surgeries versus open surgeries. By 2023, the number of general and pelvic endoscopic procedures performed globally will reach about 29.7 million, representing a CAGR of 3.6%.

The Flex system, originally cleared in 2015 for transoral applications, is now available for robot-assisted visualization in general surgical, gynecological and thoracic procedures.

The global market for robotically assisted systems (RAS) is expected to reach $5.3bn by 2021, a CAGR of 11.7%. Meddevicetracker expects this hot market, long-dominated by Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci systems, to see rising competition from innovative companies developing robotic systems that are smaller, portable and less costly and offer surgeons innovative features that allow them to perform even more precise and user-friendly, complex surgeries. In this feature, we'll take a closer look at the overall market, highlighting the competitive landscape as well as limiters and growth opportunities. We'll also take a deep dive into RAS systems and their applications. Surgeons of various specialties provide key insights about the pros and cons of different systems.