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Morcellation Media Monitoring 05/19/2016
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Widower Sues J&J Over Wife’s Power Morcellator Death
May 19, 2016 | Top Class Actions
By Amanda Antell
Johnson & Johnson is facing a new power morcellator lawsuit from a grieving Missouri widower, who alleges his wife died from leiomyosarcoma directly caused by uterine morcellation surgery.
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Widower Sues J&J Over Wife’s Power Morcellator Death
May 19, 2016 | Top Class Actions
By Amanda Antell
Johnson & Johnson is facing a new power morcellator lawsuit from a grieving Missouri widower, who alleges his wife died from leiomyosarcoma directly caused by uterine morcellation surgery.
The man claims that after the company’s power morcellator device was used for her laparscopic procedure, his wife developed a deadly form of uterine cancer she eventually died from.
Plaintiff Kevin M. is filing this power morcellator lawsuit on behalf of his late wife Dawn M., who underwent uterine morcellation for her supracervical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.
The surgery was conducted on Jan. 25, 2010, with the power morcellator used to remove unwanted uterine fibroids.
Soon after the surgery, Dawn underwent an exploratory medical examination of her bilateral pelvic lymph nodes to determine if there was any lasting effects.
While no signs of uterine cancer were found at the time, Dawn was diagnosed with an leiomyosarcoma soon after.
According to the power morcellator lawsuit, the uterine morcellation had ruptured uterine sarcomas allowing the cancerous cells and tissue to spread throughout her lower abdomen and pelvis.
This allowed the previously undiagnosed, and highly aggressive, uterine cancer progress at a much faster rate. Despite the diagnosis, Dawn and her husband went through rigorous treatments and were vigilant for any signs of the disease until her death.
By Nov. 11, 2010, Dawn had been through three cycles of chemotherapy, and had undergone a variety of diagnostic imaging scans to examining her lower pelvic region to determine if leiomyosarcoma had been successfully treated.
Despite undergoing one last exploratory surgery on Dec. 09, 2010 in an attempt to remove any remaining cancer, the leiomyosarcoma persisted.
Overview of Power Morcellator Complications
On April 04, 2011 Dawn died from leiomyosarcoma, leaving her husband to contend with her loss and medical bills.
Sometime after his wife’s death, Kevin discovered power morcellator procedures can severely increase the chances of leiomyosarcoma and accelerate the disease to dangerous levels.
On April 17, 2014, the FDA released a public safety notice regarding power morcellator complications.
The agency stated that laparscopic uterine morcellation increase the chances of leiomyosarcoma with uterine fibroid removal cases, with the FDA discouraging doctors from using the devices.
This is due to the fact that there is no diagnostic method available to identify leiomyosarcoma before the patients undergo uterine morcellation.
Additionally, this has caused many surgeons and medical institutions to discontinue using them, due to the severity of the risks.
Previously, women opted to use power morcellator devices for their accuracy, efficiency, and requiring less hospital recovery time after the procedure.
Power morcellator devices are composed of tiny rotating blades used to cut up the fibroids, which are then removed through a small vacuum inserted through a small incision in the abdomen.
Dawn had opted for the power morcellator for the same benefits, with no warnings of leiomyosarcoma mentioned on the product’s label.
Less than a month after the FDA announcement, Johnson & Johnson suspended all sales of their laparscopic power morcellator devices.
Kevin is filing this power morcellator lawsuit for the wrongful death of his wife, stating that she never would have agreed to use the product if she had known the risks.
The Power Morcellator Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 16-cv-528, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Missouri.
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