SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	9 Months Ended
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries have been prepared on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal, recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the information set forth herein. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the Financial Statements in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). These Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 10, 2023. The results of operations for the first nine months of 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year or any future periods. The Financial Statements include the results and balances of the Company’s majority-owned joint ventures, Intuitive Surgical-Fosun Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Intuitive Surgical-Fosun (HongKong) Co., Ltd. (collectively, the “Joint Venture”), with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”). The Company holds a controlling financial interest in the Joint Venture, and the noncontrolling interest is reflected as a separate component of the consolidated stockholders’ equity. The noncontrolling interest’s share of the earnings in the Joint Venture is presented separately in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Risks and Uncertainties The Company’s future results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected by macroeconomic and geopolitical factors in the U.S. and globally, including the supply chain environment, inflationary pressure, higher interest rates, instability in the global financial markets, significant disruptions in the commodities’ markets as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict in Israel, labor shortages, the introduction of or changes in tariffs, trade barriers, or regulatory requirements, and uncertain or reduced demand, as well as the impact of any initiatives or programs that the Company may undertake to address financial and operational challenges faced by its customers. While the supply chain challenges facing the Company have shown signs of improvement during the first three quarters of 2023, relative to 2022, certain semiconductor materials, specialty metals, and polymers continue to face supply constraints due to various factors, including limited labor availability, equipment shortages, capacity limitations among sub-tier suppliers, and difficulties in sourcing raw materials and component parts to meet demand requirements. Additionally, prices of such materials remain elevated due to increased demand and production-related cost inflation. With higher interest rates, access to credit may become more difficult, and any insolvency of the Company’s key suppliers, including sole-sourced and single-sourced suppliers, may exacerbate current supply chain challenges. Also, liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry could result in delayed access or loss of access to the Company’s key suppliers’ uninsured deposits or loss of their ability to draw on existing credit facilities involving a troubled or failed financial institution. The Company is actively engaged in activities to seek to mitigate the impact of any supply chain disruptions on the Company’s operations. Such global shortages in important components have resulted in, and will continue to cause, inflationary cost pressure in the Company’s supply chain. To date, these supply chain challenges have not materially impacted the Company’s results of operations or ability to deliver products and services to its customers. However, supply constraints with certain materials, many of which may be unavoidable, could delay the timing of our product deliveries, which could result in deferred or canceled procedures. Additionally, if inflationary pressures in component costs persist, the Company may not be able to quickly or easily adjust pricing, reduce costs, or implement countermeasures. Additionally, there is continued uncertainty surrounding the impact of any monetary policy changes taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks to address the structural risks associated with inflation. Fluctuations in labor availability globally, including labor shortages and staff burnout and attrition, could also impact the Company’s ability to hire and retain personnel critical to its manufacturing, logistics, and commercial operations. The Company is also highly dependent on the principal members of its management and scientific staff. The loss of critical members of the Company’s team, or its inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, could significantly harm its operations, business, and ability to compete. Many hospitals continue to experience challenges with staffing and cost pressures that could affect their ability to provide patient care; however, the staffing challenges have shown signs of improvement during the third quarter of 2023, relative to the first two quarters of 2023 and to the prior year. Additionally, hospitals are facing significant financial pressure as supply chain constraints and inflation drive up operating costs, higher interest rates make access to credit more expensive, unrealized losses decrease available cash reserves, and fiscal stimulus programs enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic wind down. Hospitals may also be adversely affected by the liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry that could result in delayed access or loss of access to uninsured deposits or loss of their ability to draw on existing credit facilities involving a troubled or failed financial institution. To the extent macroeconomic conditions remain challenging, it is likely that hospitals’ spend on capital equipment will be adversely impacted. In addition, as competition progresses in various markets, longer selling cycles and pricing pressures are likely to result. As of the date of issuance of these Financial Statements, the extent to which these macroeconomic factors may materially adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, or results of operations is uncertain. The Company maintains the majority of its cash and cash equivalents in accounts with major U.S. and multi-national financial institutions, and our deposits exceed insured limits. Market conditions could impact the viability of these institutions. To date, these market conditions and liquidity concerns have not impacted our results of operations. However, in the event of the failure of any of the financial institutions where we maintain our cash and cash equivalents, there can be no assurance that we would be able to access uninsured funds in a timely manner or at all. Any inability to access or delay in accessing these funds could adversely affect our business and financial position. The Company is also subject to additional risks and uncertainties due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When COVID-19 infection rates have spiked in a particular region in the past, procedure volumes were often negatively impacted and the diagnoses of new conditions and their related treatments were sometimes deferred. The extent of the impact on the Company’s business is highly uncertain and difficult to predict. The Company’s customers may divert resources to treat COVID-19 patients and defer some elective surgical procedures, both of which may impact the Company’s customers’ ability to meet their obligations, including to the Company. The severity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the duration and severity of the pandemic and the extent and severity of the impact on the Company’s customers, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures In March 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2022-02, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures (“ASU 2022-02”), which eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. Additionally, the standard requires disclosure of current-period gross write-offs by year of origination for financing receivables and net investments in leases within the scope of Subtopic ASC 326-20, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses-Measured at Amortized Cost. The Company adopted ASU 2022-02 on January 1, 2023, on a prospective basis. There was no impact of the adoption of ASU 2022-02 on the Company’s Financial Statements in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements The Company continues to monitor new accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB and does not believe any accounting pronouncements issued through the date of this report will have a material impact on the Company’s Financial Statements. Significant Accounting Policies There have been no new or material changes to the significant accounting policies discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, that are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.