Our Firm hears from women whose undiagnosed cancers were allegedly spread via uterine morcellation on a regular basis.
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 19, 2014
As the controversy over power morcellator (http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com) procedures continues to grow, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that one of the country’s leading hospitals has implemented a new policy aimed at mitigating the cancer risks associated with uterine morcellation. According to a report from the American College of Surgeons, Johns Hopkins Hospital will no longer perform morecellator hysterectomies or fibroid removals on women over 50, or on any woman who has other risk factors for gynecological cancers. The policy also requires that uterine morcellation only be performed by high-volume surgeons who use an endoscopy bag to contain the tissue cut by the power morcellator. Finally, Johns Hopkins’ new protocol also requires that patients be screened for uterine cancers before undergoing uterine morcellation, and be fully informed that such procedures may potentially spread any undetected cancer cells present in morcellated tissue.*
“Our Firm hears from women whose undiagnosed cancers were allegedly spread via uterine morcellation on a regular basis. While it is encouraging that Johns Hopkins has taken steps to protect patients from the risks associated with such procedures, it should be noted that federal regulators have not endorsed any type of containment bag system in conjunction with the use of power morcellators,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is providing free legal consultations to women who were diagnosed with advanced uterine cancers following uterine morcellation.
Power Morcellator and Cancer
Power morcellators are used in minimally-invasive uterine surgeries to cut up tissue into small pieces so that it can be removed from the body via a small abdominal incision. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been reviewing the association between uterine morcellation and cancer since April, when it first discouraged doctors from using the devices. At the time, the agency noted that “there is no reliable method for predicting whether a woman with fibroids may have a uterine sarcoma,” and that spread of such cancer cells via morcellation can upstage the disease and greatly reduce a woman’s chances for long-term survival.**
On November 24th, the FDA issued an update to its original safety communication, at which time it announced that a new black box warning – the strongest possible safety notice – detailing their potential to spread uterine cancers would be added to the labels of power mocellators. The agency also cautioned against using morcellators in women who are entering menopause, as well as those who have already been through menopause. Finally, the FDA advised against such procedures for women who are good candidates for intact removal of the uterus, either through the vagina or via a procedure known as a mini-laparotomy. The new contraindications recommended by the agency would apply to the majority of women who require a hysterectomy or fibroid removal surgery.
Women who allegedly experienced the spread of uterine sarcoma or other cancers due to a power morcellator may be able to take legal action against the manufacturer of the device. To learn more about the risks potentially associated with uterine morcellation, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To obtain a free legal review, please call 800-511-5092.
*acssurgerynews.com/home/article/hopkins-protocol-aims-to-limit-sarcoma-morcellation-risk/9427131fe345645bbc91fecbc9b5859a.html, ACS Surgery News, December 10, 2014
**fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm393576.htm, FDA, April 17, 2014
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.
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