New Study Reveals Alarming Stats For Robotic Surgery Outcomes

Researchers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Chicago's Rush University Medical Center conducted a study stating that surgery involving robots is far from perfect. 

The study showed that 8,061 counts of device malfunctions during robot-assisted surgeries caused death and injuries to patient. Robotic surgery caused over 1300 injuries and 144 deaths, according to an analysis of these reports. 

Based on US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, reports, the researchers found that a total of 8,061 counts of device malfunctions during robot-assisted surgeries caused death and injuries to patients.

More than 1.7 million robotic procedures occurred in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013  based on reports from hospitals, patients and device manufacturers submitted to the FDA. 

The issues during surgery happened through issues of mechanism of the machine, although study authors admitted they were still unsure if the fault was on the surgeon, surgery team or simple the device. The report malfunctions were unprecedented power down and incorrect movement, broken instruments falling into patients' bodies, electrical sparks causing tissue burns and system errors making surgery take longer than planned.

There were 1,166 cases of broken/burned parts falling into patients' bodies recorded that primarily contributed to 119 injuries and one death, while uncontrolled movements and spontaneous powering down of the machines are said to have caused 52 injuries and two deaths. Researchers added the loss of quality video feeds and/or reports of system error codes at the mid-surgery are said to have contributed to further 41 injuries and one death.

People undergoing surgeries involving their heart, lungs, head and/or neck are several times more likely to die than gynaecological and urological procedures, researchers stated. The most dangerous procedures recorded with the machines were cardiothoracic and head and neck surgeries, with 6.4 percent and 19.7 percent of negative results, respectively, followed by urology operations under 1.9 percent and gynaecological surgeries covering 1.4 percent.

Surgical robotic devices offer advantages to medical practice; surgeons can use tinier instruments to make smaller and more nimble cuts. With the process, patients could recover faster, with less risk of infection and the promise of almost unnoticeable scars.

The study authors raised concerns over the number of injuries and deaths per procedure have remained relatively constant since 2007.