One would almost think with surgical technology such as the da Vinci Surgical System robots, that surgical errors would be virtually a thing of the past. While the da Vinci surgical robot can enable more precise surgeries, the Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder and Snyder have seen how surgeries can go horribly wrong with these machines. We also know that a lawsuit in these situations is not nearly as simple as more direct forms of surgery.
There have been several problems reported with da Vinci surgeries. Urinary bladders and urethras have been accidentally cut, and one woman was actually killed during a hysterectomy. According to the lawsuit, an electrical current severely burned a major artery and her intestines, leading to her death two weeks later.
To determine who is exactly at fault in a da Vinci case, it takes a large number of expert witnesses. There has to be medical experts and training experts to determine if the surgeon did something wrong. There also have to be computer software experts and mechanical engineers to determine if the fault was with the machine. Also, there has to be testimony regarding the maintenance and chain of custody of the device to make sure that nothing was broken or obsolete with the robot.
On the upside, the da Vinci robots keep logs of every command and action in every surgical procedure. This can go a long way to determine whether there was an error on the part of the surgeon or a glitch in the robot.
Another word of advice is that if you are recommended to undergo a da Vinci surgery, make sure that the doctor has performed at minimum 200 surgeries before you go under the knife.
If you have undergone a da Vinci surgery and something went wrong, do not hesitate to contact one of our medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder and Snyder.