As Power Morcellator Controversy Mounts, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes Widower’s Vow to Continue Fight for Morcellator Ban
New York, New York (PRWEB) October 29, 2014 -- The controversy over power morcellators (http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com) continues to grow, as Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes the death of Brenda Leuzzi, a 44-year-old mother of two who had been working to have morcellation banned following her cancer diagnosis just 25 months ago. Mrs. Leuzzi, who received her diagnosis just days after undergoing uterine morcellation to remove fibroids that turned out to be cancerous, was told by her doctors that the power morcellator may have spread those cancer cells beyond her uterus. Not long after, Ms. Leuzzi became part of a grass roots campaign to end the use of power morcellators in uterine surgery. Her husband, George, told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that he will continue her fight on his wife’s behalf.*
“Our Firm has heard from numerous women, as well as the families of others, who are alleged to have suffered the spread of uterine cancers due to power morcellators. We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Leuzzi and his family,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now evaluating potential morcellator lawsuits on behalf of women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.
Power Morcellators and Cancer
Power morcellators are used in laparoscopic hysterectomies and fibroid removals to shred tissue and fibroids so that the material can be removed from the body via a small abdominal incision. In April, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) publically discouraged doctors from using the devices in gynecological surgeries due to the possibility that they may spread undetected cancer cells present in the uterus into the abdominal cavity. According to the agency, as many as 1 in 350 women with fibroids may actually have undiagnosed uterine cancers. These malignancies are difficult to screen for prior to surgery, and their dissemination via morcellation can result in an upstaging of the disease and greatly reduce a woman’s chances for long-term survival.
In July, the FDA convened a meeting of outside advisors, as part of its review of power morcellators. During the proceeding, the agency heard emotional testimony from a number of cancer patients and their loved ones, many of whom urged the FDA to ban the devices.** However, the agency recently indicated that it is not ready to take such a step at this time.***
Just weeks after the FDA held its advisory meeting, Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon, Inc. unit did withdraw three of its morcellators from the market because of the uncertainty surrounding their safety.**** Several U.S. health insurers, including Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim and Fallon Health have limited their coverage of uterine morcellation, while a growing number of hospitals have decided to ban or severely restrict such procedures. *****
Women who allegedly experienced the spread of uterine sarcomas and other cancers due to power morcellation may be entitled to take legal action against the manufacturer of the device used in their surgery. To learn more about the risks potentially associated with power morcellators, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To obtain a free legal review, please call 800-511-5092.
*democratandchronicle.com/story/all-about-health/2014/10/28/husband-grieves-over-unnecessary-death/18049069/, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 29, 2014
**bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/07/11/agreement-reached-whether-fda-should-ban-hysterectomy-cutting-tool/EkXZaFAUUnT5HZ7DBQvWbM/story.html, Boston Globe, July 11, 2014
***democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/10/09/power-morcellation-fibroid-gillibrand-schumer/16975935/, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 10, 2014
****ethicon.com/sites/default/files/managed-documents/Ethicon%20Morcellation%20Devices%20Customer%20Letter%20Final.pdf, Ethicon, Inc., July 30, 2014
*****in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/02/highmark-procedure-idINL2N0Q80IY20140802, Reuters, August 3, 2014
*****telegram.com/article/20140809/NEWS/308099942/0, Worcester Telegram, August 9, 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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Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com
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Felecia L. Stern, Power Morcellator Lawsuit Information, http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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