Power Morcellator Lawsuit Claims Tool Disseminated Uterine Cancer And Caused Woman’s Death

January 12, 2016 – – Banville Law reports on a lawsuit filed against power morcellator manufacturing company Ethicon, which alleges that their power morcellator tool exposed and spread uterine cancer, causing a fatal diagnosis for one Missouri woman. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the deceased woman by her family, who has indicated that the woman had undergone a hysterectomy in order to remove painful uterine fibroids. It has been consolidated in MDL No. 2652.

Ethicon’s power morcellator device was used for this gynecological procedure, shortly after which the woman was diagnosed with cancer. Ethicon is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Their power morcellator was chosen for this procedure because it offered a minimally invasive option, as it could be inserted into the woman’s body through just a tiny incision, offering her a substantially shorter recovery time.

Ethicon is only one of many companies who manufacture slightly different versions of the power morcellator tool. A power morcellator works much like a drill once inside the abdominal cavity. It rapidly whips around tiny jaws or blades to shred and rip apart troublesome uterine fibroid tissue. As it does this, however, many now allege that the device can expose previously undiscovered cancer cells, and its whipping motion can spread those cells outside of the uterine cavity and throughout the body, accelerating the cancer and significantly impacting the life expectancy of the patient.

People from across the United States have filed very similar lawsuits against various power morcellator manufacturers, alleging that the accelerated cancer the power morcellator may cause is difficult to treat and frequently deadly. Many allege that, had the cancer not been spread by a power morcellator device, it would have remained contained within a uterine fibroid, and therefore may have been more easily treatable before it metastasized on its own.

Even the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning regarding power morcellators in 2014, indicating that women should refrain from undergoing gynecological laparoscopic power morcellation to remove uterine fibroids due to a cancer-spreading risk. They also estimated that 1 out of every 350 women who currently undergo these procedures may have uterine sarcoma cells that both the physician and they are completely unaware of.

After the FDA’s announcement, Ethicon stopped all production of their power morcellator devices, and recalled those currently in use and on the market. Unfortunately, however, many other companies continue to make and sell the device.Lawsuits alleging that Ethicon’s power morcellators spread uterine cancer have been consolidated by the JPML to form MDL number 2652. These cases are being overseen in the U.S. District of Kansas by Judge Kathryn H. Vratil.

The attorneys at Banville Law have observed the devastation of many plaintiffs in these lawsuits. They are doing their part to ensure that other women who have undergone laparoscopic power morcellation and who were subsequently diagnosed with cancer will have the opportunity to explore their legal rights. These women may be entitled to compensation. Banville Law is currently offering free legal consultations for those affected.

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

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Contact Banville Law:

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

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