Todd Usen, CEO, Activ Surgical

Consider the case of a 43-year old male who underwent a colectomy— without complications— to treat Crohn’s disease. Soon after coming home, the patient developed significant abdominal pain as well as a fever. Upon returning to the hospital, the patient was given medication to control the pain and fever, and then sent home.

At home, the patient continued to experience significant pain and high fever, and was ultimately re-admitted to the hospital for a second time. On admission, it was noted that the patient had a distended abdomen as well as a lack of urine production. The treating physician ordered a CT scan, and the patient was given antibiotics. Hours later, a physician discovered a leak in the patient’s bowel caused by the initial surgery, and the patient then underwent a second surgery to repair the leak.

Following the surgery, the patient developed compartment syndrome and sepsis. The patient’s condition continued to deteriorate, and the patient died in the ICU.

Unfortunately, such preventable and unintended surgical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S after heart disease and cancer. These errors claim approximately 250,000 lives every year in the U.S alone. According to a study by John Hopkins University, it was recognized that diagnostic errors, medical mistakes, and the absence of safety nets could be some of the likely reasons for these deaths.

Could such errors have been prevented? Activ Surgical’s CEO Todd Usen believes that his company’s technology can make a difference.