The first hysterectomy morcellation lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania has been scheduled for trial in November 2015. The complaint, which marked the first of dozens involving power morcellators, was filed by a husband on behalf of his deceased wife. According to the plaintiff, his wife died after a power morcellator used... Read more »

UnitedHealth Group, the country’s largest health insurance provider recently issued new rules requiring doctors to obtain authorization prior to using a power morcellator to perform a hysterectomy, as morcellation has been linked to spreading cancer in some women. Starting in April, doctors will need to seek approval from the insurance... Read more »

The power morcellator is a small surgical tool commonly employed in routine gynecological procedures such as fibroid tumor removal (myomectomy) and hysterectomies. Used in laparoscopic or key-hole surgeries, the instrument enables surgeons to break down tissue, allowing for easy extraction and a faster recovery. Recent studies on power morcellation during gynecological... Read more »

  With the recent filing of a class action lawsuit, a group of plaintiffs is demanding compensation in excess of $5 million for medical complications allegedly related to the da Vinci robot surgery system. They claim that the defendants, Intuitive Surgical, Inc., engaged in false and deceptive advertising practices by... Read more »

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente have confirmed there is no way for doctors to spot uterine sarcoma before performing a laparoscopic hysterectomy or myomectomy with morcellation. As a result, morcellation may spread cancer throughout the abdomen. On December 11, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published the report examining the... Read more »

Citing the link between power morcellation and the risk of spreading cancer, The Johns Hopkins University has adopted a new protocol regarding the use of the surgical tool in uterine surgery. Surgeons will not use the power morcellator tool at all during hysterectomy or myomectomy (surgery to remove uterine fibroids)... Read more »

Johns Hopkins researchers recently published information that may increase the number of women who experience complications from morcellation with hysterectomy procedures. The January issue of Obstetrics and & Gynecology details the accounts of three women who submitted to laparoscopic hysterectomy morcellation, ultimately resulting in benign uterine diseases rather than having... Read more »

Each year, about 100,000 women undergo surgical procedures to remove uterine fibroids in U.S. health care facilities. It is estimated that one in 350 removal procedures using power morcellators results in the spread of undetected cancer throughout the body. A power morcellator is a device that uses a fast-spinning blade... Read more »

Last week, in response to calls for a laparoscopic power morcellator recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the surgical devices would be given a new boxed warning on the labels. The boxed warning is the strictest warning that the FDA requires short of pulling a device from... Read more »

Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and his wife, Dr. Amy Reed, have launched a crusade aimed at convincing the FDA that a complete and total ban on power morcellators is necessary to save lives. Like many other women who have filed a cancer-related power... Read more »