A federal lawsuit alleges that a Palm Beach County woman’s death resulted from a stray electrical arc emitted by a surgical robot during a colon cancer procedure.

Delray Beach resident Harvey Sultzer filed the suit in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, asserting that Intuitive Surgical Inc. failed to warn his wife, Sandra Sultzer, about potential issues with using the da Vinci surgical robot during her September 2021 procedure.

The lawsuit contends that the company neglected to design its product to prevent stray electrical energy from causing internal burns without the knowledge or control of surgeons.

Additionally, it claims Intuitive Surgical failed to provide adequate training for surgeons on device usage.

The da Vinci robot, introduced in 1999, is a multi-armed surgical device controlled remotely by surgeons with the assistance of an onboard camera, offering various instruments such as forceps, scissors, and scalpels.

Intuitive Surgical has not responded immediately to an inquiry about the lawsuit. As the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, no defense attorney is listed, the Gazette Extra reported.

The company’s financial reports, submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, acknowledge an undisclosed number of pending lawsuits, with the company disputing the allegations.

The Sultzer lawsuit suggests that Intuitive Surgical sells its instruments to hospitals lacking experience in robotic surgery, relying on the company to train surgeons.

Most of the robot’s instruments are disposable or have a limited usage lifespan, leading the company to depend on the volume of surgeries for a significant portion of its income.

Sandra Sultzer’s surgery at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital resulted in a “thermal injury” to her small intestine, causing a perforation that necessitated subsequent medical intervention, physical and emotional harm, and ultimately, her death, according to the lawsuit.

The suit argues that Sandra Sultzer’s case is not an isolated incident involving the da Vinci device, citing Intuitive Surgical’s involvement in about 93 product liability lawsuits.

Written by B.C. Begley