July 16 (Reuters) - Intuitive Surgical ISRG.O on Thursday maintained its 2026 forecast for worldwide growth in procedures assisted by its cutting-edge da Vinci robots, after beating Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit and revenue on strong demand for its surgical systems.

Shares of the company were down over 9% in extended trading.

• Intuitive is a dominant player in the surgical robotics market, with consistent demand for its da Vinci robots from hospitals addressing a backlog of medical procedures and broadening access to minimally invasive care.

• Intuitive maintained its 2026 forecast for worldwide growth in da Vinci-assisted procedures at 13.5% to 15.5%, and said it expects growth to land near the midpoint of that range.

• The volume of da Vinci procedures rose 15% globally in the second quarter from a year ago, the company said.

• Intuitive's results follow Tuesday's warning from hospital operator HCA Healthcare HCA.N about softer demand for surgical procedures and a rise in uninsured patients, as many Americans have dropped Affordable Care Act plans after pandemic-era subsidies expired.

• On an adjusted basis, the medical device maker reported earnings of $2.8 per share for the quarter, beating analysts' estimates of $2.5 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

• Revenue for the second quarter came in at $2.89 billion, compared with analysts' estimates of $2.82 billion.

• Intuitive now projects its 2026 adjusted gross profit margin to be between 68% and 69% of revenue, higher than the 67.5% to 68.5% it previously forecast.