By Natalie Rahhal Deputy Health Editor For Dailymail.com
Published: 23:24 BST, 16 April 2019 | Updated: 23:24 BST, 16 April 2019
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A company called Brainlab has issued a recall of its spine surgery navigation technology after errors proved fatal for some patients, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday.
The system is intended to help surgeons navigate delicate spine procedures to correct deformities, remove tumors or screws to stabilize or repair the backbone.
But according to the recall notice, the system has displayed incorrect visual information during high-risk operations.
Sixty devices have been recalled after patients suffered botched surgeries, had to endure a second, corrective surgery or even died on the operating table - errors that warrant a Class I recall, the most serious kind.
Brainlab's navigation system (pictured) is supposed to track and display a spine surgery patient's body and surgical instruments to help doctors avoid dangerous areas during operations - but it sometimes gives wrong directions, which has proven fatal for some patients
Any operation involving the brain or spine comes with considerable risks.
A wrong move could lead to permanent damage, paralysis or death.
Neurosurgery, which encompasses all things brain, spine
