Gary S. Guthart
Analyst · Think Equity
That was our last question. As we've discussed with you over the years, while we spend our time on these calls reviewing our financial performance, our team remains sharply focused on the creation of patient value, improving the efficacy of surgery while reducing its invasiveness. I'd like to share with you a brief example of what this means in the lives of our patients. I'd like to share with you Cleave's story. "I'm 51 years old. I was hurting in my lower stomach for a few months. I started passing a little blood, so my family said it was time to go to the doctor. So I went to see my regular doctor. And he said, "You're 50, it's time to get a colonoscopy." So December 19, I had my colonoscopy. He told me there was a mass, and I wasn't sure you know that lingo, and he said it will be cancer. So the ball started rolling. Immediately, they referred me to an oncologist. We went in and we met with him, and he said he would be cutting me from the breastbone down and then over and then open me up. There would be 2 surgeons, 4 hands inside working. He said I would lose several pints of blood and that they may dislocate my pelvic bones. And when he started talking like this, I'm like, this doesn't sound right, this is too much. I've got too many years left, I don't like the odds. Meanwhile, my daughter was doing research. We were like, well, we see this da Vinci thing. We looked at the videos on the Internet, and we were like let's go talk to this guy. So we went to Dr. Hoss' [ph] office and he said, "Yes, we can do this." I said, "About how much blood are we talking about losing here?" He said, "Blood's not an issue." He said, "You're a young guy. I'm going to do everything I can." So I came out of it. He took 12 to 13 inches of bowel out and put everything back together. My healing, as far as the procedure itself, my incisions and stuff, they healed up well. I've seen some people who've been cut, they get infections. And this was a scary thing for me, too, because I have a lot of years left. I've got a lot of stuff to do. And I think I've made a good decision." Patients like these are the strongest advocates for da Vinci Surgery and form the very foundation of our operating performance. We have built our company to take surgery beyond the limits of the human hand, and I assure you that we remain committed to driving a vital few things that truly make a difference. This concludes today's call. We thank you for your participation and support on this extraordinary journey to improve surgery, and we look forward to talking with you again in 3 months.