A man in the US has sued a medical manufacturer named Intuitive Surgical (IS), alleging that the company’s surgical robot burned a hole in his wife’s organs while operating to treat her colon cancer, eventually leading to her death. A lawsuit has been filed against Intuitive Surgical (IS) by her husband Harvey Sultzer.
According to the lawsuit that was filed on February 6, 2024. Sandra Sultzer in September 2021 underwent surgery at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Florida, US to treat her colon cancer. The surgery was performed using a multi-armed, remote-controlled da Vinci robot. The lawsuit noted that the robot burned a hole in her small intestine, which needed further medical interventions.
In the lawsuit, Harvey Sultzer expressed that his wife suffered health complications after the surgery performed by the surgical robot. He is suing Intuitive Surgical (IS) for over $75,000 for negligence, and product liability, including design defects and failure to warn, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.
As per the manufacturing company’s website, the device is advertised to facilitate precision beyond the limits of the human hand, being designed to provide surgeons with natural dexterity while operating through small incisions allowing for minimally invasive procedures.
According to the lawsuit, Sandra Sultzer died in February 2022 as a direct and proximate result of the injuries she suffered after going through surgery. She continued to suffer from abdominal pain and fever until she died. The lawsuit also affirms that the company knew the robot had insulation issues that could affect the internal organs. But, it was not informed to the family. It also added that the company has received thousands of reports of injuries and defects related to the surgical robot. However, the company underreported the incidents to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
The lawsuit also contends that the company failed to train doctors on using the da Vinci system and sells its robots to hospitals lacking experience in robotic surgery.
Intuitive Surgical (IS) introduced the da Vinci system in 1999 and received FDA approval in 2000. The device has faced criticism for numerous flaws.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina/MSM)