is allowed to use the system without supervision. There have also been claims of patient injuries caused by stray electrical currents released from inappropriate parts of the surgical tips used by the system. Intuitive Surgical counter this argument by saying the same type of stray currents can occur in non-robotic laparoscopic procedures. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that side effects and blood loss in robotically-performed hysterectomies are no better than those performed by traditional surgery, despite the significantly greater cost of the system. As of 2013, the FDA was investigating problems with the Da Vinci robot, including deaths during surgeries that used the device; a number of related lawsuits were also underway. See also ZEUS, a robotic surgical system (discontinued in 2003). References External links by European Urological Association. Surgery Surgical robots