- July 30, 2014
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
At the law firm of Goodman Acker P.C. our Michigan defective medical device lawyers are currently investigating cases for women patients who suffer from cancer as a result of a power morcellator used during a hysterectomy. Since the late 1990’s, the power morcellator has become a quite popular device to be used in hysterectomies (55,000 – 75,000 procedures in the U.S. every year).
However, despite its popularity, new medical research published this month in the Journal of American Medical Association found that the the power morcellator, when used in a hysterectomy surgery, could spread hidden and potentially fatal cancers in women. This study supports the previous warnings issued in April of 2014 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the surgical device.The power morcellator is used to shred or cut up large masses of tissue inside the body so the material can be extracted through small incisions. It is often used during a hysterectomy procedure (surgery to remove the uterus) to treat uterine fibroid tumors. However if cancer cells are present at the time of the surgery, this can prevent a very dangerous situation to the patient. The surgical device can actually spread the cancerous cells to other parts of the woman's body causing the potential spreading of fatal cancer.
And for women to have undetected cancer before the use of a morcellator is not uncommon unfortunately. According to the FDA, 1 in 250 women undergoing a hysterectomy or a surgery to remove benign growths known as fibroids had uterine cancer their doctors had not detected. The new study done by doctors at Columbia University found that nearly 1 in 370 women who undergoes a hysterectomy using the surgical device, power morcellator, is found to have previously undetected uterine cancers.
One of the most fatal types of cancer it can spread, if undetected at time of surgery, is uterine leiomyosarcoma, which is a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Unfortunately, many women claim they were never even warned about this risk of cancer being spread before the hysterectomy was performed.
A growing number of lawsuits are being filed on behalf of women who have developed cancer as a result of a surgeon or doctor using a power morcellator during a hysterectomy. Some of the cancers that women may suffer from include:
- Leiomyosarcoma (LMS)
- Uterine Cancer
- Myelosarcoma
- Uterine Sarcoma
It is the responsibly of medical manufacturers to ensure their products are safe to patients. Failure to do so could give means to a defective medical device lawsuit. If you or someone you love suffers from cancer after the use of a morcellator in a hysterectomy surgery, call our top rated Michigan medical device lawyers today at(248) 286-8100 for immediate assistance and legal advice.
We offer a free, no obligation case review where we will discuss your case, determine whether or not you have a claim, and explain your legal rights to you. Call now as there are strict statute of limitations in Michigan to file such a claim. Failure to comply within those time limitations could mean that your case could be barred forever and you will not be able to collect compensation for your injuries.