By Micah Maidenberg

Intuitive Surgical Inc. said earnings moved sharply lower in the second quarter as its surgery device was used less during the pandemic and shipments of the machines dropped.

The developer of da Vinci surgical devices, which allow surgeons to carry out minimally invasive surgeries, reported a profit of $68 million, or 57 cents a share, compared with $318 million, or $2.67 a share, for the second quarter last year.

Shipments of the da Vinci device fell 35% year over year to 178 in the second quarter, the company said. Globally, procedures on da Vinci machines decreased around 19%.

The pandemic ratcheted up pressure on healthcare companies, as many consumers stayed at home during the initial phase of lockdowns in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Some companies tied to the health sector have paid for ads encouraging people to start visiting their medical providers again.

"During the first six months of 2020, the company experienced a significant decline in procedure volume and postponements of system placements, as healthcare systems around the world diverted resources to meet the increasing demands of managing Covid-19," Intuitive said.

The company's adjusted profit of $1.11 a share was ahead of forecasts from analysts polled by FactSet.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Intuitive generated $852.1 million in second quarter sales, down about 23% from last year but surpassing the $671 million that analysts had predicted. 



  Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com