Study Says Using the da Vinci Surgical Robot for a Hysterectomy Fails to Cut Complications and May Raise Pneumonia Risk, Notes Parker Waichman LLP
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 11, 2013 -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of victims injured by defective medical devices, notes that a Sept. 10 Bloomberg report details a study that reveals using the da Vinci surgical robot to perform a hysterectomy doesn’t reduce complications and could possibly raise the risk of pneumonia when compared with the use of conventional surgical techniques. For the study, researchers examined data from about 16,000 women who had hysterectomies for benign conditions in 2009 and 2010, Bloomberg added.
Operations performed with the da Vinci surgical robot cost hospitals $2,489 more per procedure but have a similar complication rate when compared with the standard practice of removing the uterus with minimally invasive equipment, according to the study, as Bloomberg reported. “Unfortunately, the greater costs associated with robotic-assisted hysterectomy were not reflected in improvement in outcomes,” researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, who conducted the study, told Bloomberg.
The increased risk of pneumonia finding could be due to the large number of robotic hysterectomy patients who need intubation after their operation, Bloomberg reported. During robotic hysterectomies, patients are positioned at a steep angle, with their heads down. This could cause fluid to build up in the airways, Bloomberg reported the study as suggesting.
The da Vinci surgical robot’s safety and cost effectiveness have been under scrutiny, according to a July 19 Bloomberg report. In February, U.S. regulators started surveying surgeons about the robots following a rise in adverse event reports that included as many as 70 deaths since 2009. In that same report, Bloomberg noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter on July 17 to Intuitive Surgical after inspections in April and May by the agency found some problems, including the company’s failure to adequately report device corrections and patient adverse events.
Bloomberg also noted in the report that the da Vinci surgical robot, which is used in more than 1,300 hospitals, has been the subject of negligence lawsuits alleging that patients were injured during surgeries with the device. Cancer surgery, hysterectomies and gall bladder removals are among the main procedures performed with da Vinci surgical robot, the report added.
Parker Waichman LLP continues to offer free legal consultations to victims of injuries allegedly caused by the da Vinci surgical robot. If you or a loved one experienced surgical burns, perforated or torn organs, torn blood vessels or other injuries that could be associated with the da Vinci surgical robot, please contact their office by visiting the firm's da Vinci Surgical Robot Lawsuit page at yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1 800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636).
Contact:
Parker Waichman LLP
Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney
1+(800) LAW-INFO
1+(800) 529-4636
http://www.yourlawyer.com
Gary Falkowitz, Parker Waichman LLP, http://yourlawyer.com/, +1 (800) 529-4636, [email protected]
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