Risk from Robotic Surgical Machines

Hospitals and healthcare providers follow trends just like any other industry. One of the hottest trends right now in operating rooms is the da Vinci robot, a high-tech, multi-armed robotic system that performs surgeries in lieu of a human doctor. The belief that robotic surgeries are more reliable and efficient than regular surgeries is based on the lack of human error, as robot hands do not shake like even the best surgeon's might at times. According to our Milwaukee medical malpractice lawyer, doctors control the three- or four-armed robot from hand controls on a computer several feet from the operating table. Controlling the surgery from a computer is considered less tiring for the doctor than actually performing the full surgery, eliminating some adverse effects that doctor fatigue or other distractions may have on a patient. Promoters of the robot assert that patients who choose robotic surgery often bleed less and recover faster, often meaning less time spent in the hospital.

The da Vinci robot system, the only product manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, costs $1.8 million and upwards and the robots are now commonplace in hospitals. The da Vincis are regularly used for surgeries such as transplanting organs, fixing heart valves, removing wombs, gallbladders, and prostates, and for shrinking stomachs. Hospitals frequently advertise that they offer robotic surgeries via the Internet, billboards, and brochures, as least partly to attract more patients to help cover the cost of the expensive da Vinci systems.

FDA Investigating Risks of Robots

The Food and Drug Administration has hundreds and hundreds of reports of adverse events involving Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot. Some of the reported mishaps include:

• A robot performing prostate surgery allegedly perforated the patient's colon
• A robot nicked a blood vessel while performing a hysterectomy, causing the patient's death
• A robotic arm performing colorectal surgery grasped tissue and would not release it – doctors were forced to do a complete system shutdown of the robot to open the grasper and release the tissue
• A Chicago man died after routine robotic spleen surgery
• A heavy robotic arm hit a woman in her face during a hysterectomy, prompting doctors to cease the robotic surgery and switch to a more invasive, incision-based surgery mid-procedure.

The FDA is not clear on whether increasing adverse incident reports are merely because the use of the robot has increased, because reporting has increased, or if it is actually due to a higher number of malfunctions. The agency is conducting a survey of surgeons in the United States who use the da Vinci robotic system in order to determine the true cause of rising reports.

There are risks of complications with any type of surgery, whether performed by a robot or a live doctor. The da Vinci robot has performed 1.5 million surgeries across the world, and Intuitive Surgical insists that its product is safe. Many lawsuits arising from injury or death during robotic surgeries cite insufficient training of the doctor on use of the robot, and not malfunction of the robot itself. Hopefully the FDA survey will shed light on the true extent of risks associated with robotic surgery. In the meantime, if you are injured during robotic surgery, contact an experienced Indianapolis medical malpractice attorney or Indiana medical malpractice lawyer today to discuss your claim.