Report cites robot surgery errors

The use of robotics is the latest thing in operating rooms these days. A multi-armed robot named “da Vinci” was used in 367,000 surgeries nationwide last year, triple the number of four years earlier. But now, according to an Associated Press report out of Chicago, the high-tech – and heavily marketed — device is coming under scrutiny over reports of technical difficulties. The report noted cases of freak incidents, such as one in which a robotic hand refused to let go of tissue grasped during surgery and another in which a robotic arm struck a patient in the face while she was on the operating table. Robots may have even been linked to several cases involving patient deaths. The report quoted several doctors as saying they are concerned with the increased use of robotics but that there isn’t enough data yet to tell whether robot-assisted surgery is at least as good or better than conventional surgeries. Learn more about medical devices and medical device lawsuits. /masstort_index.html