The Da Vinci robot, marketed and manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, was designed to provide individuals with a better surgical experience. According to Intuitive, the robot allegedly allowed patients to benefit from faster recovery times, smaller incisions, less pain and reduced blood loss. However, Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys note that the manufacturer is currently facing lawsuits from plaintiffs claiming that the device is flawed in design and that surgeons failed to obtain adequate training prior to using the robot.
What is Robotic Surgery?
According to the manufacturer, a surgeon uses a control resembling a joystick throughout the procedure. This technology allows the physician to better maneuver the robotic arms, placing them inside the patient by making small incisions. After the surgeon is in place, the robotic arms can then provide a three-dimensional picture inside the patient and allow the doctor easier access to perform the procedure.
Intuitive acknowledges that they created the system to mimic the natural movements of the human arm. Once they established these movements, they developed a technology in which they transformed them into accurate and responsive micro-movements. The da Vinci Surgical System has quickly become a phenomenon across the globe with over 1,300 hospitals in the United States and 2,000 facilities worldwide acknowledging use of the device. Additionally, surgeons performed more than 450,000 procedures just in 2012, according to Intuitive.
However, while many have had successful surgeries with the assistance of the da Vinci robot, others have not been so lucky. Studies and experts in the medical communities criticize the safety of the robotic arms, and some plaintiffs and their Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys allege that the electric current may potentially shoot out of the robotic arms and harm nearby tissues, vessels and organs.
Alleged Complications
In May 2013, Intuitive released a warning statement to notify surgeons of the potential harm resulting from the defective monopolar curved scissors on the device. The manufacturer acknowledged that the scissors may be prone to micro-cracks in which electricity can jump from the robotic arms and form a pathway inside the individual. Once inside the body, the current can move around uncontrollably and inadvertently burn and cut nearby healthy tissues. While Intuitive did agree that the scissors may potentially be defective, the company maintained that, as of the warning notice, it had not received confirmed evidence of injuries.
Plaintiffs and Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys are also alleging that surgeons performing procedures may not have been properly trained to handle the equipment. According to sources, Intuitive allegedly only paid for a two-day training course for two physicians at each facility that purchased the system. Plaintiffs and the Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys who represent them claim that it was then the hospital’s decision whether or not additional surgeons should receive training and how many hours of practice were necessary before they felt comfortable enough to operate the da Vinci robot without supervision.
Other Allegations of Fault
CNBC conducted an investigation that looked into the use of aggressive marketing techniques to promote the da Vinci robot. Plaintiffs allege that Intuitive downplayed the risks of the device in order to boost sales of the system as they targeted doctors and hospitals. However, Intuitive, for its part, maintains that the company did nothing of the sort.
However, the report and the findings of many Oklahoma da Vinci attorneys allege that Intuitive made an attempt to change procedures that did not use the device into surgeries that required it in order to meet their sales goals for the quarter. In fact, in one exchange, the robot’s clinical sales directory allegedly acknowledged that a particular number of procedures expected over a specific course of time was way below what the company needed to see to reach the quota.
In response to this exchange, sales leaders allegedly chimed in with different ways to boost the number of procedures requiring the da Vinci robot, whether it was persuading hospitals to lower the number of supervised procedures they required before a physician could operate without supervision or calling in favors to different facilities across the globe.
Additionally, sales leaders who had previously been employed by Intuitive also acknowledged that the company’s marketing tactics were aggressive as they admitted to traveling to facilities in efforts to persuade the physicians to use the robot and other instruments and services provided by Intuitive. Plaintiffs and Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys are using this alleged evidence to file claims against the manufacturer.
Have You Been Injured? Oklahoma Da Vinci Lawsuit Attorneys Can Help
If you or someone you love has been injured during a procedure using the da Vinci Surgical System and you would like to pursue a claim against Intuitive with the help of Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys, contact Attorney Group for Oklahoma today. We will provide you with a consultation and, should we feel you have a valid claim, connect you with experienced Oklahoma da Vinci lawsuit attorneys who will handle your case. You may be entitled to receive compensation for lost wages, future lost wages, pain and suffering, medical expenses and any additional surgeries you may have needed following your initial procedure. So contact Attorney Group for Oklahoma today for your free consultation.
