Lawsuits Allege Surgical Robot Burns Organs, Resulting in Patient Deaths

A widower is suing medical manufacturer Intuitive Surgical, claiming that its da Vinci surgical robot burned a hole in his wife's organs during a procedure to treat her colon cancer, leading to her death. The lawsuit alleges that the company knew about insulation issues that could cause the device to burn internal organs but didn't disclose the risk. The lawsuit also claims that the manufacturer sells its robots to hospitals with no experience in robotic surgery and doesn't properly train surgeons in how to use the device. The widower is seeking over $75,000 in damages for negligence, product liability, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.