da Vinci Robot Class Action Lawsuits Rise as Sales are Predicted to Drop

As class action lawsuits over da Vinci robot complications continue to pile up against manufacturer Intuitive Surgical Inc., law firms and marketing experts predict that sales of the surgical robot may go down.  According to the fourth quarter report of Intuitive Surgical, the company admits that sales will likely increase for their cheaper surgical robot model, but sales of their expensive models will drop significantly.

The company officially disclosed this prediction in its  quality earning reports from 2013. When asked what they predicted their sales behavior to be, company officials declined to give a revenue forecast for 2014, but said they would do so later in the year, when they have a better idea of what the outcome will be.

Intuitive states that revenue will depend on the need for gynecologic surgeries in the United States, which have declined over the past several years.  In the recently released earning reports, the company revealed that is sold 138 da Vinci Surgical Systems in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared to 175 during the same quarter last year.  For the entire year of 2013, the company sold 546 da Vinci robots, compared to 620 in 2012.

Marketing and legal experts agree that Intuitive will be facing a tough year in 2014, due to the amount of scrutiny the company received over their da Vinci Surgical System product.  The criticism stemmed from the complications and injuries patients allegedly suffered during and after robotic surgery, due to alleged defects of the da Vinci Surgical System. Intuitive maintains that the large number of injury reports stems from the growth of the product’s popularity, and that the number of injuries does not actually indicate a product defect.

In a 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in October, Intuitive Surgical revealed that at least 50 da Vinci lawsuits had been filed in courts across the country. Each lawsuit alleged that the patients’ injuries were caused as a result of defects in the robotic system, or from the lack of training the surgeons had before using the device. A number Intuitive Surgical class action lawsuit claims have also been filed.

Overview of da Vinci Robot Complications

The da Vinci Surgical System is marketed and manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, and has been widely viewed as success in medical technology innovation.  The da Vinci robot consists of several components, which includes a high-quality 3D viewer camera and four remote control arms.  These arms are designed to assist the surgeon with delicate procedures such as hysterectomies or prostatectomies, by making small, but precise incisions.  A da Vinci Robotic System can cost a hospital up to $2 million dollars per unit, making it very expensive to the surgeon and the patient.  This has raised some criticism over whether the product is worth the cost.

The da Vinci Robotic System is advertised as minimally invasive by using alternative means in both open and laparoscopic surgeries. It is also advertised to cause less pain for the patient, along with a shorter hospital recovery period. Through patient injury reports, most of these marketing claims have been disproved, or at the very least challenged. Patients complain of burns, shocks, and other complications in result of the surgery. These complaints have led to a number of da Vinci robot class action lawsuits and individual product liability lawsuits.

Additionally, it has been found that some hospitals went along with the marketing of the da Vinci Surgical System, to increase their visibility in the medical community, and to attract more patients to their facility.

Submit a da Vinci Robot Class Action Lawsuit Claim

If you or a loved one were injured following robotic surgery performed by the da Vinci Surgical System, visit the  Da Vinci Robot Surgery Class Action Lawsuit & Robotic Surgery Lawsuit Investigation. Fill out the short form to receive a free review of your potential da Vinci robot lawsuit. If you qualify, a robotic surgery lawsuit lawyer will contact you about the next steps to take, at no cost to you.