A gynecologist, Dr. Daniel Laury who used da Vinci surgical system, faced lawsuit filed by his Oregon patient/plaintiff, Michelle Elsley, for medical malpractice after she experienced injuries from da Vinci robotic surgery, according to an online source. After three years, Mrs. Elsley underwent CT scan and found out that there are foreign objects, such as laparascopy sheath and extraneous coils that are used as birth control devices. However, it remained unclear whether these objects are from the robotic device that was used by Dr. Laury in the September 28, 2007 surgical procedure. The plaintiff received $10,500 in medical expenses and $100,000 compensation for pain and suffering.

 

 

READ MORE: Plaintiff Awarded Over $100K in da Vinci Robot Malpractice Lawsuit

Intuitive Surgical has manufactured the most advanced and popular surgical robot named da Vinci Robotic System. Smaller incision that are less traumatic are effortlessly performed with da Vinci compared to traditional surgical approached. It was considered to be the first robotic system to be used in American operating rooms after it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for laparoscopic procedures on July 11, 2000, according to media reports. One of the advantages of da Vinci is that it allows the surgeon to perform closer to the surgical site than the human vision allows and work at a smaller scale than conventional surgery permits because of its advanced technology.

 

The da Vinci is composed of two separate but connected sections. The tower, which is positioned directly over the patient during surgery, contains the robot’s four arms—three that may hold a multitude of different surgical instruments, and a fourth that holds the system’s 3-D cameras. The movements of the surgeon are replicated by the arms of the robot. An amplified, high definition 3-D view of the surgical site is viewed by the surgeon who sits and operate at the console while looking into a stereoscopic monitor. By maneuvering the two master controls that gives fingertip precision of movement, the surgeon is able to operate on the robot’s four arms.

 

The information about the inside of the patient is sent by the camera in 3-D images to be examined by the doctor on the viewfinder while sitting at the console a several feet away from the operating table. The viewfinder shows the the surgical site and the two or three surgical instruments mounted on the tips of the surgical rods. There are joystick-like controls stationed underneath the screen that are used by the surgeon to manage the surgical instruments. Each time the surgeon moves one of the joysticks, a computer sends an electronic signal to one of the instruments, which moves in sync with the movements of the surgeon’s hands. Large incisions may not be required in a surgical operation when the surgeon and robot are working together. The surgeon removes the rods from the patient’s body and close the incisions the moment when the surgery is completed.

 

 

 

• science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/robotic-surgery3.htm
• mainlinehealth.org/oth/Page.asp?PageID=OTH003297
• pennmedicine.org/robotics/how.html
• robotic-surgery.med.nyu.edu/for-patients/what-robotic-surgery/how-da-vinci-si-works
• sharecare.com/health/non-diagnostic-surgical-procedures/vinci-surgical-robotic-system-work;jsessionid=C44F2BF273576152D88C1C3C8646FA63
• affinityhealth.org/object/services-specialty-da-vinci-how.html