Lawsuits Allege Robotic Surgery Linked to Serious Complications
4June2013
A number of patients and their families across the United States have filed lawsuits, alleging serious surgical injuries from robotic surgical instruments. However, Intuitive Surgical, the medical technology company that manufactures the da Vinci Surgical System used in many surgeries, claims the problems are the result of human error.
In robotic surgery, a doctor at a computer console controls robotic arms that hold surgical tools. Robotic surgeries are generally touted as causing less blood loss and postoperative pain, fewer complications, and shorter hospitalizations for patients. Many hospitals have begun advertising robotic surgery in their brochures.
However, as the lawsuits by injured patients allege, robotic surgeries have not been without serious complications. Errors related to robotic surgery reportedly have resulted in at least five fatalities. There are reports of a robot slapping a patient on the operating table and grasping a patient’s tissue without letting go.
A study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association raised doubts about robotic surgery. The researchers at Columbia University reviewed records of 264,000 women who had hysterectomies. They found that robotic uterus removal cost a third more than a standard minimally invasive hysterectomy, without reducing the rate of complications.
The Food and Drug Administration, which cleared the da Vinci system for use in 2000, is closely examining the reports of errors. In January, the FDA sent out surveys to surgeons about the safety of Intuitive’s robotic surgical instruments.
In some cases, the patients and their family members allege that a doctor’s lack of training to operate the robotic system led to errors during surgery.
Intuitive Surgical has prevailed in an initial round of lawsuits, according to a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek. But each case of surgical error has its own facts. The company’s robotic devices are used in a number of surgeries, including hysterectomies and prostate operations. If you suspect that you have been harmed by a surgical error during robotic surgery, speak to a knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney.
The medical negligence lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC represent victims of medical malpractice by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.
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