FDA Urges Surgeons to Stop Using Power Morcellators for Fibroid Surgery to Stop Cancer Spread Risk
The Strom Law Firm is investigating and evaluating cases on behalf women who have undergone power morcellator surgery to remove uterine fibroids or for a partial hysterectomy, and have since been diagnosed with uterine, ovarian, or cervical cancer. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the uterine fibroid masses may sometimes be malignant. Unfortunately, during the procedure the spinning blade of the morcellators could spread deadly cancer and worsen patient outcomes. The Strom Law Firm attorneys offer a free, confidential consultation to discuss the facts of your case. Contact us today for help. 803.252.4800.
Power Morcellator Lawsuit Compensation
The problem with the morcellator procedure is aggressive cutting of the tissue. As a result, benign tissue can adjoin to abdominal structures and organs and result in future surgery and other conditions including fibroids, endometriosis, and adenomyosis. Another serious issue is the spreading of malignant tissue which can change a patient’s prognosis from treatable to fatal.
Plaintiffs injured by the morcellator procedure may be eligible fpr compensation including
- pain and suffering
- medical expenses
- therapy
- future surgerines, and sometimes
- wrongful death and funeral expenses.
FDA Investigation and Safety Warning
According to FDA estimates, as many as 1 in 350 women have undetected uterine cancer that can look like fibroids, and the cancerous tissue can be ruptured with power morcellator surgery. The previous rate was estimated at 1 in every 7,000 women.
As a result of this new estimate, on Monday, November 24th, 2014, the FDA said that the “vast majority” of women with uterine fibroids should not undergo power morcellator surgery to remove the problem, due to the potential of undetected uterine cancer being spread.
Morcellation surgery, performed with a power morcellator, is supposed to be a simple, non-invasive procedure in which the laparoscopic device is used to find fibroid tissue in the uterus, and grind fibroids down to be removed through a small incision in the abdomen. Uterine fibroids can cause pain and annoyance with menstruation, so many women choose to undergo the surgery to reduce those complications. However, grinding down fibroids, which are assumed to be non-cancerous, could actually cause the spread of cancer when a tumor is ground down.
The main problem is not the tool itself, but the fact that there are no good tests to distinguish between a uterine fibroid, which is benign, and a cancerous tumor. However, as a result of the increased risk of spreading uterine cancer through a simple fibroid misdiagnosis and subsequent surgery, many health insurance companies now refuse to cover the surgery, and urge patients to undergo laparoscopic surgeries if they are truly bothered by uterine fibroids, or need a hysterectomy.
A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology showed that 0.6% of women who underwent hysterectomy power morcellator surgery to remove uterine fibroids were diagnosed with uterine sarcoma. The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente’s Jasmine Tan-Kim, reviewed a large number of laparoscopic hysterectomies, and found 941 women in the group who specifically had power morcellator surgery. Six women in total were found to have or have developed uterine cancer within 2 to 7 years after their surgery to remove fibroids.
Call Today For a FREE Power Morcellator Injury Consultation
The Strom Law Firm is dedicated to protecting the women in South Carolina and Georgia from serious personal injury through power morcellator surgery. Defective drugs and dangerous devices can be approved for the U.S. market by the FDA if the pharmaceutical company or medical manufacturer fails to conduct appropriate safety testing or lies about safety test results, which can lead to thousands of injuries and deaths from adverse drug reactions, side effects, and cancer. Give us a call today to set up your free case review. 803.252.4800.
