Surgical procedure conducted by robot goes horribly wrong; patient dies

Harvey Sultzer, a US-based grieving widower, is suing the medical giant Intuitive Surgical (IS) seeking over $75,000 in damages for his wife’s death.

He claims that his wife Sandra Sultzer’s death was caused by the surgical robot da Vinci. As per Sultzer, the robot inadvertently burned a hole in Sandra’s organs during a procedure, ultimately leading to her demise.

As per a New York Post report, in September 2021, Sandra underwent treatment for her colon cancer at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital. The surgery was done using the da Vinci robot.

The surgical robot is marketed for its unparalleled precision “beyond the limits of the human hand” and minimally invasive nature, “designed to provide surgeons with natural dexterity while operating through small incisions”.

However, according to the lawsuit, this very device burned a catastrophic hole in Sandra’s small intestine, which made additional medical interventions necessary.

As per the lawsuit, after the procedures, Sandra continued to suffer from abdominal pain and fever, right until she died.

The lawsuit further accuses IS of withholding critical information about the robot’s insulation issues, which were flagged in an FDA investigation spanning 2009 to 2011.

It alleges that despite knowing the potential for the device to cause internal organ burns, IS allegedly failed to disclose this risk to both the Sultzer family and the wider public.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that IS has received numerous reports of injuries and defects related to the surgical robot but has “systematically underreported” these to the FDA.

Legal woes
The legal woes of IS, as per the report, are not new. Previous financial reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that the company was involved in approximately 93 lawsuits in 2014.

These lawsuits alleged “that they or a family member underwent surgical procedures that utilised the da Vinci Surgical System and sustained a variety of personal injuries and, in some cases, death as a result of such surgery.”

The lawsuit also takes aim at IS’s business practices, criticising the company for selling its robots to hospitals lacking experience in robotic surgery and says that the company fails to adequately train surgeons on how to operate the da Vinci device. While IS does offer a training programme, a 2018 NBC News investigation revealed that the company cannot legally compel surgeons to complete it. WION