Family loses lawsuit against surgical robot manufacturer

Patients who are taken into surgery place their trust in the doctors and other medical professionals who are trained to handle the procedure. In order to avoid complications, doctors in Pennsylvania are trained on any surgical equipment that is used during the procedure. If a surgeon mistake occurs, the patient may suffer serious illness, or even death in the most tragic of situations. In these cases, the family may choose to investigate who is at fault for the death of a family member.

Family members felt the manufacturing company of a surgical robot had a hand in the death of a man who died after having surgery to remove his prostate gland. The family felt that the company was too aggressive in their marketing techniques, and encouraged the doctor to operate before he was adequately trained. A jury decided that the company was not to blame for the factors that led to the man’s death.

According to the lawsuit, the surgeon was encouraged to train on a relatively healthy, thin person, but instead chose the patient, who had a history of obesity and health problems. During the surgery, the doctor was forced to move from using the robot into a more conventional surgery as the process became too difficult because of the man’s size.

If the manufacturer has been determined to not be at fault in the death, the doctor may still be held accountable for negligent choices he made regarding the man’s health care. Any person who has lost a loved one because of a surgical error or mistake may benefit from consulting with an attorney to discuss their case.

Source: Kitsap Sun, “Surgical robot manufacturer not at fault in local man’s death, jury rules,” Rachel Pritchett, May 23, 2013