Recent reports show that the da Vinci Surgical System has been cited in a growing number of claims against the machine’s manufacturer, Intuitive Surgical.

Used throughout the world in millions of surgeries since it was introduced to the market in 2000, the da Vinci Surgical System has gained increasing criticism, especially here in the United States. Although Intuitive Surgical adamantly disagrees with claims that their product is defective, research and evidence are beginning to prove otherwise, showing that substandard procedures and surgeons’ inexperience with the device have caused more and more injuries to patients. In some cases, medical experts believe that the defective robot has even contributed to the death of a small percentage of patients.

The da Vinci Surgical System robot is mostly used for hysterectomies and prostatectomies, but it has been increasingly used for other surgeries as well. Some of those surgeries include gastric bypass, bladder removal, several types of cancers, and even heart surgeries. Although the robot is marketed by Intuitive Surgical to cause less bleeding and to be minimally invasive, promising patients shorter recovery times, hundreds of people have bought into the ploy, and many have undergone debilitating side effects because of it.

Some medical experts believe that despite the high cost of the da Vinci Surgical System machine, large regional hospitals are purchasing the product as an investment, assuming that it will lure hundreds of more patients and exponentially grow profits, not considering patients’ safety first. In addition, medical researchers have published reports that claim there is no complete evidence that the da Vinci robot is more precise than a reputable surgeon’s hands. The reports warn readers that the device can cause burns from electrical currents in and around the surgical area and that most surgeons must have many hours of practice with the machine in order to master the use of its components.

The numbers of official complaints against Intuitive Surgical vary from poll to poll and study to study; regardless, it’s obvious that da Vinci Surgical System injuries have increased to an all-time high in recent months and many people have been forced to endure the physical and emotional scars left from this dangerous machine.