Sharp Memorial Hospital became the first hospital in the county and one of the first in the world to receive and utilize the da Vinci 5 robot from Intuitive Surgical.
The da Vinci 5 is Sharp Memorial’s 14th surgical robot on campus and was utilized in surgery last Friday.
“The ability to feel the tissue and control more aspects of the operation from the console was revolutionary," said Dr. Pamela Lee, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Sharp Memorial Hospital.
The da Vinci 5 is said to provide a "wealth of advancements that help its surgical teams care for patients, including improved accuracy and precision, force-sensing technology that enables surgeons to feel pressure exerted on tissue during surgery and workflow enhancements to help increase surgeon autonomy and streamline workflows," according to the hospital.
Intuitive introduced the first version of the da Vinci system in 1999 when robotic surgery was still relatively novel. The FDA approved the system a year later.
The da Vinci Surgical System is touted as a breakthrough in minimally invasive surgery. It is known to have multiple advantages, including a monitor that lets surgeons see better inside patients, a steady robotic arm allowing for more precision, and a record of faster recoveries for patients.
But an NBC News investigation found that the da Vinci comes with risks.
In 2018, NBC News spoke to more than a dozen patients who say they were burned or otherwise injured during surgery with the da Vinci.
Earlier this year, a woman's family in Florida filed a lawsuit against Intuitive Surgical after she allegedly died from complications after undergoing surgery for colon cancer using the da Vinci. According to the family's lawsuit, Intuitive received hundreds of complaints and reports about its da Vinci robot from July 2009 to December 2011.
The suit, filed by the woman's husband, 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 da Vinci.
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NBC 7 contacted Sharp HealthCare to ask if their surgeons are trained to use the device. They sent the following statement:
We’ve worked closely with Intuitive to ensure our affiliated physicians and team members are well-trained to use da Vinci systems. To obtain robotic privileges at Sharp HealthCare, our affiliated physicians must complete a training course that includes a combination of simulated and cadaver procedures before they can use robotic technology. Additionally, they are proctored by other physicians who have robotics privileges. Lastly, Sharp HealthCare is proud to be the first on the West Coast to be named a Network of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), which means we had to meet specific criteria in safety and quality requirements. Our affiliated physicians with robotic privileges who use da Vinci systems have been trained by the program offered by Intuitive.
NBC 7 asked if patients can opt out of using the da Vinci and Sharp Healthcare said yes and that its hospitals and providers can work with patients to discuss care plans.
