Power Morcellators are Killing Women: DOJ Finally Investigates
The laproscopic power morcellator is just the latest in a long line of medical devices that have wound up doing far more harm than good – and that were given rapid and ill-advised approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That same federal agency finally issued a warning in late November of 2014 – but only after thousands of women died unnecessarily from what was supposed to be a minor procedure.
Enlightened Self-Interest: Insurers Call for More Restrictions on Morcellators
U.S. health insurance companies historically have never given an tinker's damn about patient lives. In a profit-driven system, their only concern has been maximizing those profits. If a treatment or a patient's condition threatened to cut into those profits, they would simply deny or drop coverage and allow the patient to suffer and die.
Morcellator Uterine Cancer -- When a Hysterectomy Turns Deadly
Under normal circumstances, a hysterectomy – the surgical removal of a woman's uterus – is a fairly routine procedure. Though it is major surgery that entails a certain amount of risk and requires a convalescent period of up to five days, complications are relatively rare.
While Rome Burns . . . FDA Fails to Respond to Morcellators and Uterine Cancer
According to legend, the half-mad Emperor Nero played his fiddle while the Eternal City was being consumed by flames. This story has little basis in historical fact (first, Nero actually did take some action to contain the fires raging in the city, and secondly, the fiddle wasn't invented until some 10 centuries later), but it serves as an apt metaphor for modern America – particularly when it comes to medical products that are causing injury and death and a corrupt government so beholden to corporate interests that it fails to regulate in any meaningful way.
Morcellators – Still Being Used Despite Risks
The risks associated with power morcellation surgery have been firmly established, and lawsuits from plaintiffs who have seen sarcomas spreading as the result of a relatively simple procedure are being filed. Johnson & Johnson, already dealing with massive litigation over other products, has ceased all manufacture and sales of morcellators, issuing a voluntary recall of the devices from hospitals this past July. Why then, are doctors still doing morcellation surgeries?
After Effects: How A Common Fibroid Procedure Is Causing Life and Death Consequences
What happens when a simple, laparoscopic procedure for hysterectomy or to remove a benign fibroid mass instead seeds potentially fatal consequences? Levin, Papantonio Attorney Brandon Bogle answers questions about power morcellation, the FDA’s recent warnings on device usage, and the concerns women face moving forward.