Health complications after a medical procedure using a Power Morcellator?

What is a Power Morcellator?

Power Morcellator are small devices that can be used during a hysterectomy or myomectomy to cut tissue through a small incision. Current reports indicate that 1 in 350 women having surgery to remove fibroid also has an undetected uterine sarcoma, cancer of the muscle and uterus tissue.

The morcellator has spinning blades and can spread cancerous cells to other organs in the body during the surgery. Because of these reports, the FDA has issued recommendations to physicians to discontinue all use of power Morcellators devices. Some hospitals have gone so far to ban the usage of power Morcellator devices.

Power Morcellator Complications

In addition to the risk of spreading cancer, surgery with a morcellator has other risks. Even noncancerous fibroid tissue may be spread by a morcellator. Noncancerous fibroid tissue can attach to other tissues and organs in the abdominal cavity, causing more fibroids to grow.

Even if benign, the tissue that is disseminated by power morcellation may cause ectopic tissue implantation on abdominal organs, potentially leading to inflammation, obstructions, and abnormal growths that require further surgical procedures. Morcellation can also spread fragments of spleen and kidney when used on these organs, leading to morbidity. Using manual morcellation as an alternative has not been proven to mitigate the risk of spreading tissue, although the spinning blades of a power morcellator may exacerbate this risk.

• Spreading of cancer
• Bleeding or infection
• Fibroid reoccurence
• Pain at incision site
• Bruising

• Organ damage
• Pelvic and abdominal pain
• Additional surgery
• Intra-abdominal abscesses
• Additional surgery

Power Morcellator Lawsuit Sources:

FDA – UPDATED Laparoscopic Uterine Power Morcellation in Hysterectomy and Myomectomy: FDA Safety Communication
https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/safety/alertsandnotices/ucm424443.htm