Letter From Congress Requests Government Accountability Office Review Of Power Morcellation Procedures

January 28, 2016 – – Banville Law reports on a significant communication which has come from twelve members of congress requesting that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review multiple topics of controversy surrounding a medical tool known as a laparoscopic power morcellator.

Power morcellator devices are made by various manufacturers and have recently become the subject of a mounting number of lawsuits. As these lawsuits continued to grow in number, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated them to form MDL No. 2652. The MDL is being overseen by Judge Kathryn H. Vratil in the U.S. District of Kansas, who recently made history by helping to form the first female-majority MDL.

Laparoscopic power morcellators are typically used during gynecological surgeries such as myomectomies and hysterectomies in order to shred and remove uterine tissue and uterine fibroid tissue from the body. The tool can be inserted into the patient’s abdominal area through small incisions, making morcellator surgery a minimally invasive and therefore more appealing option to many. Once inside the body, the device quickly spins blades to shred and rip apart fibrous tissue into small pieces which can later be removed from the body.

Plaintiffs involved in lawsuits against various brands of these medical devices, however, all similarly allege that while the tool does this, it can expose previously undetected sarcoma cells, and spread them around the body due to its rapid spinning motion. Many believe that this causes the patient a sudden cancer diagnosis post-surgery. And through this spreading, plaintiffs claim, the tool helps to advance the cancer, making it higher in grade and harder to treat. This can greatly impair the survival rate of the involved patients. In fact, several lawsuits in the current MDL are now being pursued by family members of the deceased who have passed away rapidly after filing due to high-grade cancer.

In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also issued a safety warning regarding the procedure, indicating that women should refrain from undergoing power morcellation to remove uterine fibroids, due to the potential of spreading uterine sarcoma cells. They additionally estimated that 1 out of every 350 women who undergo this procedure might have uterine cancer cells that they are completely unaware of.

Reports indicate that the U.S. Government Accountability Office is now investigating the tool, as requested by congress. The Wall Street Journal released a report stating that a GAO member had announced that the investigation would start “as work that is within the scope” of the organization’s authority was further evaluated.

The attorneys at Banville Law are working to ensure that everyone affected will have the opportunity to fully evaluate their legal rights. Women who have undergone gynecological morcellation procedures and who were later diagnosed with cancer may be eligible to take legal action and attain substantial compensation. The attorneys at Banville Law are currently offering free power morcellator consultations to those involved.

To request more information, or to ask questions, please call the attorneys at Banville Law at 888-997-3792.

###

Contact Banville Law:

Laurence Banville, Esq.
888-997-3792
info@banvillelaw.com
165 West End Avenue, #1H
New York, NY 10023
United States (US)

ReleaseID: 60007746