Power Morcellator Lawsuit Alleges Storz America Device Spread Potentially Deadly Uterine Cancer

January 06, 2016 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

Banville Law reports on another new power morcellator lawsuit filed by a couple against manufacturer Storz America in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The suit was filed on December 15th of 2015, and alleges that the laparoscopic power morcellator device used during the wife’s gynecological surgery led to the spread of potentially deadly uterine cancer cells throughout her body.

Further details of the complaint indicate that the couple asserts that manufacturer Storz America neglected to properly warn consumers of the risks associated with their medical device. They state that the company also failed to notify physicians and the general public that their tool was capable of potentially spreading previously undetected cancer cells and accelerating that cancer, making it significantly more difficult to treat.

The plaintiffs indicate that the wife underwent a laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with power morcellation just one year prior in December of 2014. This procedure was necessary to remove troublesome uterine tissue, and could be completed in a minimally invasive way, through four minor incisions, with the power morcellator device.

A power morcellator is inserted into the lower abdomen through small incisions where it then rapidly spins blades to shred troublesome uterine tissue and uterine fibroid tissue. This tissue can then later be removed from the body via a hollow tube on the front of the device. Although the device was originally thought of as a new and more efficient way of performing myomectomies or hysterectomies with significantly less recovery time, controversies and concerns regarding the device have since increasingly surfaced.  

Plaintiffs in an ever-increasing number of morcellator lawsuits all similarly allege that when the tool shreds uterine tissue, it can expose and spread previously undetected cancer cells. This spreading helps to accelerate the cancer. Some patients undergoing these gynecological surgeries with power morcellation suddenly receive a serious or fatal cancer diagnosis post-surgery.

In this plaintiff’s case, as in many others, she was explicitly told that there was no evidence of cancer metastasis prior to surgery, however, very soon after her procedure, the woman was told instead that she had cancer of the uterus. It was not until later that she realized that the laparoscopic power morcellation procedure she had undergone may have played a critical role in the spreading of her cancer cells.

Lawsuits much like this one against various brands of power morcellator devices continue to be filed across the United States. Those which name Ethicon as the defendant have been consolidated by the JPML to form multidistrict litigation number 2652 in the U.S. District of Kansas.

The attorneys at Banville Law are working to assist anyone who may have undergone laparoscopic power morcellation and who were later diagnosed with cancer to ensure that they are able to explore their legal rights. These women may be entitled to legal action and compensation. Currently, Banville Law is offering complimentary legal consultations for those affected.

To request more information on power morcellation, or to ask questions, please contact the attorneys at Banville Law by calling (888) 997-3792.

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