The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning earlier this year that power morcellators, used for hysterectomy and myomectomy procedures, can cause women to develop cancer. A recent study showed, however, that a power morcellator can also cause non-cancerous complications as well.

Three cases were studied in a report published in Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal. Three women had a hysterectomy done by a power morcellator. The procedure was supposed to be minimally invasive, which is one of the selling points of the morcellator.

After the surgery, each women reportedly experienced serious health issues caused by the power morcellator. One 36-year-old mother of two found multiple (non-cancerous) tumors that required multiple organ removal and resections in order to be removed. Her ovaries, colon, spleen, and diaphragm were affected.

The two other women, both 51-year-old mothers of two, also had to have organ resection in order to fix the bowel obstruction and abdominal adhesions allegedly caused by power morcellators. One had developed a 15 centimeter wide abdominal mass.

Power Morcellator Dangers

Hundreds of thousands of women have undergone uterine surgery with power morcellators since the device’s approval in 1995. Power morcellators were commonly chosen because they could remove tissue through a small incision in the abdomen. It could be used to remove fibroids, a common procedure for women, the uterus, the ovaries, and the fallopian tubes.

Surgeries performed with power morcellators were also supposed to shorten recovery time, reduce the risk of developing secondary infections, and not cause as much scarring as traditional hysterectomy and other types of uterine surgeries.

However, the FDA found that some women have undiagnosed cancer in the uterus and issued a warning in April. As the tool is removing the cancerous fibroids, the cancer is able to spread throughout the body. There is currently no way of knowing if the fibroids are cancerous prior to surgery.

The FDA has since discouraged power morcellator use overall, claiming that there is no guaranteed way to use them safely. Insurance companies began to stop offering coverage for surgeries involving power morcellators.

In September, Ethicon power morcellators, the most commonly used model, were voluntarily recalled due to the risk of power morcellator cancer. Other power morcellator manufacturers, such as Blue Endo and Karl Storz, have yet to recall their tools.

The FDA announced a few months lather that a stronger black box warning would be added to power morcellators.

Power Morcellator Lawsuits

Power morcellator lawsuits have claimed that women and doctors were not adequately warned about power morcellator cancer. It has also been alleged that the tools were not adequately tested before being sold.

Wrongful death lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of loved ones who have allegedly died from power morcellator cancer.