The SureForm 60 from Intuitive Surgical Inc. - curved stapler for tight robotic spaces

Reviewed: ad hoc news New Release & Launch desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-30, 02:44. Details in the imprint.

The SureForm 60 from Intuitive Surgical Inc. looks almost modest at first glance, a curved metal jaw at the end of a robotic arm waiting above the draped patient. For the surgeon at the console, though, it feels like a power tool with millimeter discipline, closing around tissue with a quiet mechanical click before firing rows of staples.

What SureForm 60 is built for

SureForm 60 is a wristed robotic stapler designed for Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci systems, combining cutting and stapling in one instrument for minimally invasive procedures. Its 60-millimeter curved jaws are meant to reach around vessels and organs in tight anatomy where straight staplers struggle.

In practice, the surgeon sits at the console, guiding SureForm’s tip with fingertip movements while watching a magnified 3D view, so the stapler feels more like an extension of the hand than a tool several feet away. When the firing trigger is engaged, force and tissue thickness feedback are relayed to the console, allowing a controlled, tidy staple line instead of guesswork.

How it changes the stapling routine

Unlike classic laparoscopic staplers, SureForm 60 can articulate through more than ninety degrees thanks to the robotic wrist, so Dr. Gary Guthart’s engineering teams effectively turn a straight staple line into a curved, steerable arc. That articulation matters in bariatric and colorectal cases, where surgeons often work deep in the pelvis or around the stomach.

Surgeons who have described their experience with SureForm highlight the tactile sense of confidence when the device reports adequate tissue compression before firing, rather than the old feeling of hoping the cartridges match the tissue. The motion is smooth but deliberate, with a short pause before the cut as the jaws lock down.

Where surgeons feel the difference

Compared with older da Vinci staplers and third-party devices, SureForm 60 offers a longer reach and more controlled compression algorithms, which Intuitive Surgical markets as helping to standardize staple quality across varying tissue thickness. For a surgeon like Dr. Megan Mahoney in a teaching hospital, that consistency is crucial when residents assist in complex operations.

The instrument’s curved jaw allows wrapping around the stomach in sleeve gastrectomy or navigating near the splenic flexure in colon surgery, areas where visibility and angles can otherwise be frustrating. The result is often a cleaner field, fewer instrument exchanges, and a quieter operating room during staple firing.

Limitations and trade-offs

SureForm 60, however, is tied to the da Vinci ecosystem, so hospitals without the robotic platform cannot access it and must rely on conventional staplers. That makes the instrument part of a high fixed-cost infrastructure rather than a simple disposable upgrade.

Intuitive Surgical’s cartridges and instrument arms also contribute to ongoing per-procedure costs, which procurement teams watch closely, especially in cost-sensitive health systems. For some smaller centers, the economics may feel sobering even if the clinical workflow is convincing.

How hospitals buy and use it

SureForm 60 is typically sold as part of instrument sets for da Vinci Xi or newer systems, with hospitals signing multi-year supply agreements that bundle staplers, energy devices, and service contracts. Intuitive Surgical fields clinical specialists who stand in the operating room on early cases, coaching surgeons on angles and jaw positioning.

In the United States, SureForm staplers are used in bariatric, colorectal, thoracic, and general surgery procedures, where robotic adoption has grown over the last decade. European centers with da Vinci systems also incorporate the instrument, though availability and pricing vary by country and reimbursement regime.

Stock and company context

Overall, SureForm 60 underscores Intuitive Surgical’s strategy under CEO Gary Guthart to derive a large share of revenue from instruments and accessories attached to each procedure, not just from selling robots. Intuitive Surgical shares (ISIN US46120E6023) trade on NASDAQ in US dollars, giving investors exposure to this installed-base and usage-driven business model.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.