As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts

[highplainsdem]

Source: Reuters

-snip-

Cerebrospinal fluid reportedly leaked from one patient’s nose. In another reported case, a surgeon mistakenly punctured the base of a patient’s skull. In two other cases, patients each allegedly suffered strokes after a major artery was accidentally injured.

-snip-

The TruDi software uses machine learning to identify specific segments of a patient’s anatomy and calculate “the shortest, valid path between two points specified by the physician,” according to an Acclarent post on LinkedIn. The technology is designed to simplify surgical planning and provide real-time feedback during procedures such as sinus operations.

Acclarent officials had approached Dean about the plan to add AI, the Fernihough suit states. The surgeon warned Hopkins and Acclarent “that there were issues that needed to be resolved,” the complaint adds. Despite that warning, the suit claims, Acclarent “lowered its safety standards to rush the new technology to market,” and set “as a goal only 80% accuracy for some of this new technology before integrating it into the TruDi Navigation System.”

-snip-

The FDA requires clinical trials for new drugs, but medical devices face different screening. Most AI-enabled devices coming to market aren’t required to be tested on patients, according to FDA rules. Instead, makers satisfy FDA rules by citing previously authorized devices that had no AI-related capabilities, says Dr. Alexander Everhart, an instructor at Washington University’s medical school in St. Louis and an expert on medical device regulation.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/ai-enters-operating-room-reports-arise-botched-surgeries-misidentified-body-2026-02-09/

---

And thanks to DOGE, the staff for checking the safety of medical devices using AI has been slashed by a third.

[Attilatheblond]

1. How many Terminator movies have been made?

Have we learned nothing?

[paleotn]

11. At this rate, if one of these systems became "self aware"

the AI bots may end up shooting each other and not the humans. The hucksters are promising an 8 series BMW. What we're getting is a very used Chevy Cavalier. This whole thing may very well turn out to be the biggest boondoggle in a century or more. Some useful tools but little more. A ginormous waste of capital dollars.

[Attilatheblond]

13. One of my mom's favorite jokes from way back in the early 60s:

"Announcement on a passenger jet, just prior to take off:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tomorrow Airline flight 4366!
Tomorrow Airline is proud to offer the first fully automated passenger service, non-stop from LA to New York!
All flight operations will be done by the latest intelligent robotic controls. You no longer need worry about an overworked, tired flight crew making errors due to fatigue. The automation will handle all flight actions.

So, sit back and rest assured that nothing can go wrong
go wrong
go wrong
go wrong"
~~~~~~~~

The best part of her joke: my uncle was an aeronautic engineer.

[WestMichRad]

2. 80% accuracy sounds good enough

It’s not like we need to hold our surgeons to NASA-like standards, right?

[erronis]

6. Right. As long as you or a loved one (or me) isn't under that scalpel/drill.

[paleotn]

9. Not the surgeons. That's tech bro accuracy.

That's the medical device turned AI company, Acclarent. And not the first time they've been in trouble for skirting the rules.

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/johnson-johnson-subsidiary-acclarent-inc-pays-government-18-million-settle-false-claims-act

[Probatim]

3. Move fast and break things.

Is AI going to assist in my biopsy tomorrow? Another question to be asked prior to the procedure.

[erronis]

7. Depends which AI assistant you ask....

Good luck!

[cbabe]

4. Gates foundation and AI African clinics

Last edited Mon Feb 9, 2026, 08:54 PM - Edit history (1)

OpenAI
https://openai.com › index › horizon-1000
Horizon 1000: Advancing AI for primary healthcare - OpenAI
Jan 20, 2026OpenAI and the Gates Foundation launch Horizon 1000, a $50M pilot advancing AI capabilities for healthcare in Africa. The initiative aims

(Better link at comment ten below.)

[erronis]

8. Your link isn't complete. But I can guess that these corps want to test drive on Africans first.

[cbabe]

10. Gates Foundation, OpenAI launch $50M AI health initiative targeting 1,000 clinics in Africa

https://www.geekwire.com/2026/gates-foundation-openai-launch-50m-ai-health-initiative-targeting-1000-clinics-in-africa/

Gates Foundation, OpenAI launch $50M AI health initiative targeting 1,000 clinics in Africa

TAYLOR SOPER on Jan 20, 2026 at 11:05 pm

The Gates Foundation and OpenAI are launching a new partnership aimed at bringing artificial intelligence into frontline health care systems across Africa, starting with Rwanda.

The initiative, called Horizon1000, will deploy AI-powered tools to support primary health care workers in patient intake, triage, follow-up, referrals, and access to trusted medical information in local languages. The organizations said the effort is designed to augment — not replace — health workers, particularly in regions facing severe workforce shortages.

The Gates Foundation and OpenAI are committing up to $50 million in combined funding, technology, and technical support, with a goal of reaching 1,000 primary health clinics and surrounding communities by 2028. The tools will be aligned with national clinical guidelines and optimized for accuracy, privacy, and security, according to the organizations.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about how AI can help us address fundamental challenges like poverty, hunger, and disease,” Bill Gates wrote in a blog post. “One issue that I keep coming back to is making great health care accessible to all — and that’s why we’re partnering with OpenAI and African leaders and innovators on Horizon1000.”

… more …

(Neo colonial testing of unproven tech. Reminds me of the Tuskegee experiment.)

[Blasphemer]

5. Why the rush?

Yeah, I know... tech bros want to cash in. But seriously, this is brand new technology, it's ok to hit the brakes, especially when it comes to medical care.

[dalton99a]

12. Kick

[angrychair]

14. Al is garbage

I don't know how many different ways it can be said.
New horror unlocked though. New thing to demand that my doctor it use Al or choose a different doctor.

[BlueSpot]

15. You've got to think the lawsuits will make them rethink this

Malpractice is malpractice, isn't it? So is AI REALLY cheaper than humans with brains and experience? I'd guess not, but you've gotta think it will eventually come down to profit and loss in the end.

The lawsuits are an assumption, of course, but I would definitely sue the living shit out of a hospital that killed a loved one through their use of AI.

Ugh, just realized insurance companies will certainly weigh in on this too. They could make you sign away your right to sue for a lower (i.e., affordable) cost or something.

We need laws to cover this and we're not going to get them with the current Congress and administration. At least that much I'm sure of.

[LudwigPastorius]

16. I saw Logan's Run 50 years ago, and the laser scene put me off...

any kind of robotic surgery ever since.

So, that's a big 'Hell No' from me.