What are some of the downsides of modern technological advancements in surgery?

Answer 1

1. New technologies cost money. This is one of the reasons for run-away medical costs.

2. They are not readily adapted. The surgical profession is slow to jump on the latest "trend". Part of that is good evidence based medicine, part is plain subborness, and a lot of "This is the way I was trained".

3. The fancier the device the more likely it is to fail. Surgeons have a "can't fail" attitude. (Trust me, you want them to feel this way). They will be very reluctant to start a procedure that _requires_ a device that could fail and leave them unable to finish the operation.

4. Learning curve. While physicians are "constantly learning" it is sometimes hard to keep up with the changes to what we already do, let alone try to learn a new procedure or a complicated new technology (see #3).

5. Not everything that is new is good. Some new products that are being sold have at most a marginal succees rate. (See #3).