Robotic device burned a woman’s small intestine during surgery, lawsuit alleges

A robotic device burned and tore a woman’s small intestine while she was undergoing surgery for colon cancer, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed this week in Florida.

The woman, Sandra Sultzer, developed abdominal pain and fever after her surgery in September 2021 and needed additional procedures to close the tear, the lawsuit said. The suit said she died in February 2022 because of the small intestine injury.

Her husband, Harvey Sultzer, is suing the maker of the device, Intuitive Surgical, for damages.

The suit alleges that Intuitive Surgical knew the robot had insulation problems that might cause electricity to leak out and burn internal organs but didn’t disclose that risk to the Sultzers or the public.

It also claims that Intuitive sells its robots to hospitals that have no experience in robotic surgery and doesn’t properly train surgeons in how to use the device, known as the da Vinci. Intuitive does offer a training program, but an NBC News investigation in 2018 found that it can’t legally require surgeons to complete it.

Intuitive Surgical didn’t respond to a request for comment. Jack Scarola, a Florida attorney representing Harvey Sultzer, said neither he nor his client had any comment beyond the allegations in the suit.

Issues of such a nature go back more than a decade, according to the lawsuit.

The suit alleges that Intuitive has received thousands of reports about injuries and defects associated with the da Vinci but has “systematically underreported” injuries to the Food and Drug Administration.

A 2014 financial report that Intuitive filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission said the company at the time was a defendant in around 93 lawsuits.

The plaintiffs in about 93 suits "allege