A surgical robot has been accused of causing the death of a Florida woman by burning a hole in her small intestine during surgery. The woman’s husband has filed a lawsuit alleging that the da Vinci robot, which was used in the procedure, caused severe injury to his wife and ultimately led to her death.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Sandra Sultzer, a 78-year-old resident of Boca Raton, passed away in 2022 following a surgery to treat her colon cancer. The da Vinci robot, which is a 4-armed machine operated by a doctor using a camera and a surgeon controlling its arms with a joystick and foot pedals, was used in the procedure.
The lawsuit claims that the robot is designed to make incisions as small as the size of a dime, with the goal of minimizing blood loss and trauma to the body compared to traditional surgical procedures. However, it alleges that some of the rubber sleeves around the robot’s arms had cracks, allowing electrical currents to escape. As a result, the stray energy burned Sandra’s body tissues during the surgery in September 2021.
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that the surgical team was unaware of what was happening at the time, indicating that the burning of Sandra’s internal organs occurred without their full knowledge. The husband claims that the manufacturer of the da Vinci robot, Intuitive Surgical Inc., failed to adequately warn of these risks. The lawsuit argues that the company should have been aware of the risks based on “thousands of injury and defect reports” about the device.
The husband also argues that the da Vinci robot was not designed in a safe way or tested sufficiently to prevent burn risks. He is seeking unspecified damages, including punitive damages, in the lawsuit.
The case highlights the potential risks associated with surgical robots and raises questions about the safety measures and testing protocols implemented by manufacturers. As surgical robots become more prevalent in medical procedures, it is crucial for medical professionals and manufacturers to ensure that these devices are safe and reliable to avoid harm to patients.
It remains to be seen how this lawsuit will unfold and whether it will shed light on any potential shortcomings in the design or use of surgical robots. In the meantime, it serves as a reminder of the importance of thorough testing, proper maintenance, and ongoing monitoring of medical devices to protect patient safety.
