Report Claims 89 Deaths Linked to da Vinci Robot

A new analysis of adverse event reports for the da Vinci surgical robot filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finds the use of the robot in surgical procedures is linked to thousands of injuries and nearly 90 deaths.

Lawyers USA Online (subscription required) writes that the analysis by Citron Research, a stock market research firm, found that there were 4,600 incidents involving the da Vinci robot reported to the FDA and it suggests there might be more adverse events than reported. Citron found that the adverse events reported to the FDA ranged from harmless error codes when the robotic device was not in use to severe injuries and 89 recorded deaths.

The Citron report noted that organ punctures, cuts, and tears were the most commonly reported patient injuries, followed by injuries involving burns from electrical discharge, according to Lawyers USA. The report also said that most of the cases were reported by Intuitive Surgical, the maker of the robot, and the company generally tried to distance its product from any of the negative outcomes.

The company faces a number of lawsuits alleging patients who underwent procedures with the robot suffered injury. Last August, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rejected a motion to consolidate da Vinci robot product liability actions filed in four federal courts.

If you or your loved one has been harmed by an unsafe medical device, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer can help you.

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