The da Vinci surgical robot has been billed as a breakthrough in the quest to make surgery less invasive. With its four remote-controlled arms and sophisticated camera, it enables surgeons to operate through small incisions with greater precision and visibility. But at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH, the robot has been used in several surgeries where injuries occurred. One patient was so badly injured that she required four more procedures to repair the damage. In earlier robotic surgeries, two patients suffered lacerated bladders.
