RFK Jr. Tests Disconnected Surgery Console During Live Heart Operation on Ohio Health Tour
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · May 14
RFK Jr. Tests Disconnected Surgery Console During Live Heart Operation on Ohio Health Tour
4 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 14
Cleveland Clinic said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. briefly sat at a disconnected teaching console while doctors performed a live open-heart operation, after reports suggested he had tested a robotic surgery machine during the procedure.
KFF Health News reporter Amanda Seitz said Kennedy, she and others were in the operating room with the patient as surgeons kept working, and later amended her account to clarify the robotic hands were not connected.
A surgeon explained the Da Vinci system requires a “swap” pedal to transfer control to the robotic instruments, meaning console use alone would not move anything unless control was actively switched.
The episode came during Kennedy’s “Take Back Your Health” swing through Ohio, part of his Make America Healthy Again campaign, where he also visited a regenerative farm and an addiction recovery facility.
As robotic surgery advances, how can this costly technology be made accessible to all patients, not just the wealthy?
A politician in a live OR: What new protocols are needed to protect patient safety from high-profile visits?
How will the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO impact its ability to detect and respond to future global pandemics?