A woman who was undergoing surgery for colon cancer has been the victim of a wrongful death lawsuit in Florida this week. The lawsuit alleges that a robotic device caused damage to Sandra Sulzer’s small intestine, which led to her death. This happened after she experienced abdominal pain and fever following the surgery in September 2021. The extra procedures to close her lacerations were not enough to save her life, as she died in February 2022 due to small bowel injuries.
Sandra’s husband, Harvey Salzer, is seeking damages from Intuitive Surgical, the manufacturer of the device. The lawsuit claims that the company knew about the insulation problems in the robot that could cause internal organ burns, and yet failed to inform the users about the risk nor to disclose it to the public. It also asserts that Intuitive Surgical doesn’t properly train surgeons who use the device, the da Vinci, and that hospitals lack experience with robotic surgery.
According to the complaint, Intuitive has received thousands of reports of da Vinci-related injuries and defects, but “systematically underreports” injuries to the Food and Drug Administration. The company also stated in a 2014 Financial Report that it was a defendant in approximately 93 lawsuits at the time.
Many doctors support robotic surgery as a safe method, but there are discussions about whether it is more effective than traditional surgery. The technology aims to make procedures precise and less invasive, potentially leading to faster, less painful recovery.
A 2018 NBC News analysis revealed over 20,000 da Vinci-related adverse events over the past 10 years, as per reports from the FDA’s MAUDE database. More than a dozen patients spoke to NBC News about burns or injuries during procedures using da Vinci.
Intuitive defended the device’s safety, referring to scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness in over 15,000 studies.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
