Robots are being used in hospitals more frequently, but as a new report shows us, there’s likely going to be quite a bit of litigation before the technology is widely accepted.
Sparking a debate over the safety of such technology is the Da Vinci Surgical System from the Sunnyvale, California-based Intuitive Surgical. Although the machine has proliferated across the country in recent years, many wonder whether the burgeoning industry is outpacing safety measures put in place to govern that industry.
Instances of adversity have led to complaints to the Food and Drug Administration and a raft of lawsuits alleging that usage of the Da Vinci led to patient complications. Some have called out Intuitive’s marketing, saying that the company has attempted to use medical facilities’ fears of becoming outdated as a means of encouragement as to why they should purchase the da Vinci. Still others have called out the device’s training regimen, which found itself in the center of a Washington lawsuit this month.
But that lawsuit is just the first, and persons who have experienced complications following a da Vinci procedure are attempting to show that the device is defective and adequate training doesn’t always exist. One $200 million lawsuit set for next year could be indicative of what other plaintiffs could expect, as that case deals with many issues that are in place across the country.
Stay tuned for more information about the da Vinci.