Da Vinci Robot Lawsuit News: Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes Publication of New Study Questioning Cost, Benefits of Robotic Surgery
New York, New York (PRWEB) December 23, 2013 -- As da Vinci robot lawsuits (http://www.davincirobotlawsuithelp.com/ ) alleging serious injuries due to the da Vinci Surgical System continue to be filed, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that another study has been released that questions the costs and benefits of robotic surgery. The study, which was published on December 18th in JAMA: Surgery, looked at thousands of operations to remove all or part of the colon that were performed between 2008 and 2010. Just over half of those performed were via traditional open methods, and about 47.6 percent involved laparoscopic procedures. The remaining .07 percent of the procedures included in the study were performed robotically. *
According to the study, laparoscopic procedures outperformed open surgeries, with fewer complications and shorter stays in the hospital. The authors of the study also found that the robotic procedures were just as safe and effective as laparoscopy. However, there was a significant cost difference between the two techniques, with the median price of the robotic procedures coming in at just over $14,800, while the median cost of laparoscopic surgery totaled about $10,782. In a statement, the authors of the study maintained that their findings “provide a counterpoint to the aggressive advertising used by some hospitals to tout benefits” of robotic surgery.*
“This is not the first study to raise questions about the overall cost and benefits of robotic surgery in comparison to laparoscopic techniques. These findings, taken together with the allegations raised in a growing number of da Vinci lawsuits, would suggest that robotic procedures need more thorough evaluation,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free da Vinci lawsuit evaluations to individuals who allegedly suffered serious injuries in procedures involving the da Vinci Surgical System.
Da Vinci Robot Lawsuits
According to a report published by Bloomberg.com in October, the da Vinci Surgical System was used in more than 350,000 hysterectomies, prostatectomies, gall bladder removals and other minimally invasive procedures last year. Those numbers represent a jump of nearly 60% since 2010. The report maintained that much of that growth was driven by hospital marketing that promised patients better outcomes – promises that aren’t always backed by science. **
Just a month later, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed to Bloomberg that reports of robotic surgery complications- some of which involved patient injuries and deaths - related to the da Vinci Surgical System had more than doubled over the past year, with the agency's database receiving some 3,697 such reports through November 3, 2013. In 2012, it tallied just 1,595 reports of such incidents. The same report also noted that Intuitive Surgical, Inc., the manufacturer of the robot, is facing at least 50 da Vinci robot lawsuits, all filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly suffered serious injuries due to the device.***
The study published last week in JAMA: Surgery is only the latest to question the cost and benefits of robotic procedures. In February, research that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association found little evidence that robot-assisted hysterectomy offered patients any advantages over laparoscopic methods, despite costing significantly more.**** Another study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology this September also found that robotic hysterectomy was not associated with reduced rates of complications than other minimally-invasive procedures, and may even double a patient’s risk of developing post-operative pneumonia.*****
Patients who suffered robotic surgery complications allegedly associated with the da Vinci Surgical System may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other injury-related damages. To learn more about filing a da Vinci robot lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or the Firm's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/davincirobotlawsuit. To obtain a free review of your da Vinci lawsuit, please call 800-511-5092.
*eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-12/jhm-wts121613.php. Johns Hopkins Medicine, December 18, 2013
**bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-08/robot-surgery-damaging-patients-rises-with-marketing.html, Bloomberg.com, October 8, 2013
***bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-08/intuitive-surgical-robot-incident-reports-double-in-year.html, Bloomberg.com, November 9, 2013
****jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1653522; JAMA, February 20, 2013
*****bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/no-safety-benefit-found-in-use-of-robot-for-hysterectomy.html, Bloomberg.com, September 9, 2013
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for the past 11 consecutive years.
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.davincirobotlawsuithelp.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Da Vinci Robot Lawsuit Help Center, http://www.davincirobotlawsuithelp.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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