Intuitive's Hutton on Why the Surgical Robotics Leader Is Taking Aim at Cardiac Surgery Again

Intuitive's Hutton on Why the Surgical Robotics Leader Is Taking Aim at Cardiac Surgery Again

From DeviceTalks Podcast Network by DeviceTalks Podcast Network

June 12, 2026 · 1h 2m

About this episode

The episode discusses Intuitive's renewed focus on cardiac surgery with insights from Darla Hutton and highlights key stories from the American Diabetes Association meeting.

In this episode, Host Tom Salemi is joined by Darla Hutton, Intuitive’s global vice president of cardiac surgery, to discuss the surgical robotics giant’s return to cardiac surgery. Intuitive famously aimed for the heart at its outset but pivoted when cardiac surgery proved too complicated. Today, heart patients and surgeons are pushing for minimally invasive procedures, and Hutton, a former cardiac surgery OR nurse, has been tapped to lead the company’s push into an increasingly competitive specialty. But first, Harmonic Drive’s Bill Frey, regional sales engineer, joins us in the FOMO Studio. Go to HarmonicDrive.net for more information. Filling in for MassDevice’s Chris Newmarker, Senior Editor Sean Whooley wraps up the five biggest stories to come out of the American Diabetes Association meeting — Abbott, Senseonics, Sequel, Dexcom, and Insulet. *** Enjoy the show? Follow DeviceTalks Weekly on all major podcast players + Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe

People in this episode

Host: Tom Salemi

Guests: Darla Hutton, Bill Frey

Topics covered

  • surgical robotics
  • cardiac surgery
  • minimally invasive procedures
  • health technology
  • medical devices

Keywords

  • surgical robotics
  • cardiac surgery
  • Intuitive
  • minimally invasive
  • health technology
  • American Diabetes Association
  • medical devices

Sponsors

Harmonic Drive

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Intuitive, American Diabetes Association, Abbott, Senseonics, Sequel, Dexcom, Insulet

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