Product liability attorneys are looking for potential plaintiffs to bring morcellation cancer lawsuits against various medical device manufacturers.

These lawsuits will likely allege that the medical device manufacturers produced and marketed a defective and dangerous product, and failed to warn the medical community and general public about serious risks associated with using the device during gynecological surgeries in women.

Power morcellators are surgical instruments often used by surgeons for the division and removal of large masses of tissue during surgery. The device allows surgeons to perform these types of surgeries in a minimally invasive way through a small incision.

Many patients prefer laparoscopic surgeries due to their shorter recovery time and reduced risks of infection. Surgeons have used power morcellators to perform numerous myomectomies (removal of fibroids), hysterectomies (removal of the utuerus), oophorectomies (removal of the ovaries), and salpingectomies (removal of the fallopian tubes), all common gynecological surgeries needed by thousands of women in the United States.

Unfortunately for many patients, the FDA has expressed concern about the safety of using power morcellators for these types of invasive surgeries. Studies have shown that these medical devices can potentially spread dangerous cancer cells throughout a woman’s uterus, abdomen, and pelvis.

Power Morcellator Cancer

Each year, an estimated 50,000 women have gynecological surgery using power morcellators. According to the FDA, 1 out of every 350 women who undergo these surgeries have an undiscovered uterine sarcoma, a dangerous type of cancer. In many cases these cancers are undetectable prior to the surgery.

A power morcellator works by cutting and shredding tissue. The then shredded tissue often travels throughout the woman’s uterus, pelvis, and abdomen. In patients who have undiscovered uterine sarcoma, the power morcellator shreds the infected tissue and spreads it throughout the body. This gives cancer cells that were previously self contained the opportunity to quickly spread and advance throughout the body.

According to the FDA, there is no way to make the use of these medical devices safer during surgery; even power morcellators with tissue collecting bags have been known to spread dangerous cancer cells throughout the body. This causes the cancer cells to advance and develop much faster than normal, often causing a diagnosis to occur in its later, more deadly, stages.

Morcellation Cancer Litigation

Plaintiffs who filed successful power morcellator lawsuits will likely receive monetary compensation from the medical device manufacturers. In some cases, family members who have lost loved ones to morcellation cancer may be able to bring a wrongful death lawsuit.

Awards and settlements from these lawsuits will help victims pay both past and future medical bills, as well as serve as a small step towards compensating victims for the pain and suffering they have been forced to endure due to the medical devices.

Popular power morcellators used during procedures over the past few years are Eithicon Gynecare Morcellex, Blue Endo MoreSolution Tissue Morcellator, and Karl Storz Rotocut G1 Morcellator.

Power morcellator lawsuits also hold companies like medical device manufacturers accountable for their actions and reminds these companies that they owe consumers a specific duty of care. Whether or not a power morcellation lawsuit should be brought by a particular plaintiff is a decision that should be made on a case-by-case basis with the advice of a legal professional.