Jerry Woodell filed a legal complaint against the manufacturers of power morcellator devices for their refusal to address known safety concerns.

A North Carolina man named Jerry Woodell is taking legal action against makers of the power morcellator device that allegedly caused the death of his wife.

Woodell is seeking damages on behalf of his late partner Bethann, who developed cancer after undergoing a total laparoscopic hysterectomy procedure.

The Woodell Family’s Story

Jerry and Bethann Woodell.
Image: Ridge Funeral Home

In 2012, Bethann was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. For this painful but common condition, doctors recommended a hysterectomy.

In March of that same year, Bethann underwent a laparoscopic morcellation procedure to have the fibroids removed.

Less than six months after the surgery, Bethann began to experience unusual symptoms. She often felt fatigued and started to suffer from migraine headaches. She was admitted to the hospital, where doctors noticed that she had a growth in her pelvis.

Doctors originally thought the large mass was benign, but it was later discovered that Bethann had developed a high-grade cancer called leiomyosarcoma.

In an attempt to save her life, Bethann was exposed to intensive chemotherapy and underwent multiple surgeries. However, her cancer only continued to grow.

Despite a number of last-ditch treatments, Bethann passed away on Sept. 9.

Fighting The Potential Flaws Of Morcellation

Power morcellation can spread hidden cancer cells throughout the body.
Image: Contemporary OBGYN

On Oct. 22, Woodell filed a lawsuit against high-earning morcellator manufacturers. In his complaint, Woodell listed various injustices. He’s suing for product liability, wrongful death and personal injury.

The lawsuit alleges that the “spinning blades that shred, grind, and core tissue into smaller pieces” can leave behind fragments in the “abdomino-pelvic cavity, or attach to surrounding organs, and cancerous cells can travel to remote areas of the body.”

In his complaint, Woodell argues that device manufacturers were aware of the risks related to the spread of hidden cancer and refused to remedy the situation by altering the design.

“Long before [Bethann] underwent surgery in 2012, defendants knew or should have known that their laparoscopic power morcellators could cause occult malignant tissue fragments to be disseminated and implanted in the body, which, in turn, upstages any cancer present and significantly worsens a woman’s chance of survival,” according to the lawsuit.

Research shows that 1 in 350 women undergoing power morcellation procedures may have hidden cancer cells in their uterus. The FDA warns that if these women have surgery with a power morcellator, it “will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s likelihood of long-term survival.”

If you developed cancer after having your uterine fibroids removed with a power morcellator, you might be entitled to compensation for this medical side effect.

Request a free, no-obligation case evaluation now to see if you qualify.

The post Man Files Suit Against Morcellator That Caused Wife’s Death appeared first on Citizens Report.

A woman died shortly after filing a lawsuit against the power morcellator procedure that allegedly spread undetected cancer throughout her body.

A 44-year-old woman named Brenda Leuzzi was suffering from uterine fibroids. The painful condition caused a severe and unusual amount of bleeding, which prompted her to agree to a power morcellation hysterectomy.

The controversial procedure came with side effects and unknowingly spread uterine cancer throughout Leuzzi’s body. She filed a lawsuit in May 2014 in an attempt to get compensation for her worsening medical status. In a tragic twist of fate, Leuzzi passed away five months later.

Power Morcellator Surgery Changed Her Life

Brenda Leuzzi, 44, died from stage four uterine cancer just two years after undergoing a hysterectomy with a power morcellator device.
Image: Change

When Leuzzi made the decision to undergo power morcellator surgery, she had no idea that it would change her life forever. In the lawsuit, she complained that she wasn’t adequately warned of the dangers associated with power morcellation.

The lawsuit came in conjunction with an announcement from the University of Rochester, the medical center that discovered the fibroids. Health representatives from the center decided they would no longer use power morcellation techniques due to the possibility of spreading undetected cancer.

“Specimens can be removed from the abdominal cavity using non-power morcellation or intact through larger incisions in the abdomen or vagina,” according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

However, Leuzzi isn’t the only one who has been affected by power morcellation. The FDA estimates that 1 in every 350 women may have undetected cancer cells that can be triggered by the procedure.

A Family That Keeps Fighting

Leuzzi’s husband George fights for justice by continuing the lawsuit and urging the FDA to ban power morcellator devices.
Image: Beta News

Although Leuzzi was unable to finalize the fight for her own justice, her family did not give up. Her husband, a firefighter named George, updated the legal complaint to reflect the circumstances of her death.

“Now that she’s passed I will do my part to carry on what she started,” George Leuzzi said. “I will help as much as I can to get this removed.”

In an ongoing FDA investigation, the governmental body evaluated the dangers of the device and considered banning power morcellation surgeries altogether. The agency issued a warning but has not yet made the decision to stop the procedure.

“I’m very disappointed in the FDA. They should have banned this by now. They’re just stalling and finding some other way to convince themselves it’s OK,” George Leuzzi said.

Many women are still suffering from cancer that may have been caused by power morcellation devices. If you or a loved one developed cancer after having your uterine fibroids removed with a power morcellator, then you might be entitled to compensation.

Complete a free, no-obligation case evaluation now to see if you qualify.

The post Woman Dies After Power Morcellator Surgery Spreads Cancer appeared first on Citizens Report.

Uterus Fibroids Surgery Side Effects

Although generally quite safe, uterus fibroids surgery side effects include excessive bleeding, pelvic pain, discomfort during sex, infection and abscess. Bleeding can persist for weeks or even months after an abdominal surgery such as a myomectomy – which removes the fibroids themselves – or even longer in the case of a hysterectomy – which removes the uterus entirely. A full recovery from a hysterectomy can take up to a year and can be accompanied by heavy bleeding. For premenopausal women who intend to have children, the most serious uterus fibroids surgery side effect is infertility. Loss of fertility can occur even after a successful myomectomy. Complications during a myomectomy, such as uncontrollable blood loss, can make a total hysterectomy necessary.

The risks and long recovery times associated with abdominal fibroid removal surgery led to the development of the less invasive laparoscopic technique, although this option is not suited for all women. Laparoscopic surgery removes fibroids using a long, thin tube called a laparoscope, inserted into the uterus either through small incisions in the abdomen or via the vagina. Not all uterus fibroids can be treated by laparoscopy; however, a hysterectomy may be necessary depending on the size and location of the fibroids.

Hormone therapy can shrink fibroids enough to make a myomectomy feasible and thereby preserve fertility.

Uterus Fibroids Surgery Cancer

The many uterus fibroid surgery side effects led to the development of new procedures that were billed as safer and faster. However, the FDA has sounded the alarm about the dangers of uterus fibroid surgery cancer posed by a new fibroid removal technique.

Laparoscopic power morcellation has the potential to unleash dormant cancer cells present in fibroids. According to an FDA study, about 1 in 350 women who undergo this fibroid surgery risk developing a leiomyosarcoma, which is a cancer of smooth muscle tissue that can spread throughout the body. Once spread, most leiomyosarcomas are inoperable and fatal.

It is clear that this type of fibroid surgery risks cancer. Some doctors and hospitals have already stopped using laparoscopic power morcellation, and patients who developed cancer as a uterus fibroid surgery side effect after undergoing this procedure are preparing lawsuits against the manufacturers of the devices used.

Side Effect Victims

Women who developed Uterine Cancer, Stomach Cancer or Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) after undergoing Fibroid Removal or a Hysterectomy may be eligible for compensation. Don’t let your valuable legal rights expire – request a free case review by visiting:

Click here to receive your free case evaluation.

The post Side Effects of Uterus Fibroids Surgery appeared first on Citizens Report.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow within the wall of the uterus. One study shows that by age 50, more than half of all American women had fibroids. While fibroids don’t necessarily have to cause any problems, they are capable of causing pain. When they do cause pain or when the number of fibroids is very high, doctors may recommend getting a hysterectomy – a surgery to remove the uterus.

The FDA recently warned the nation about a popular type of surgery that is commonly used for both the removal of uterine fibroids (known as a myomectomy) and hysterectomies. The FDA’s safety communication notice discouraged doctors from using laparoscopic power morcellation for these two procedures.

Most people know laparoscopic surgery as minimally invasive surgery or keyhole surgery. It’s when doctors perform surgery through small incisions in the abdomen. The doctors place surgical instruments in the incisions and then can view what they are doing via TV monitors. A morcellator is a surgical instrument used for removal of large masses of tissues. So in this case laparoscopic power morcellation refers to the procedure of when a doctor performs minimally invasive surgery on a woman, using the powered morcellator to remove her uterine fibroids or uterus.

The FDA issued this warning due to an unintended outcome of these surgeries. “Based on an FDA analysis of currently available data, it is estimated that 1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for the treatment of fibroids is found to have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma, a type of uterine cancer that includes leiomyosarcoma. If laparoscopic power morcellation is performed in women with unsuspected uterine sarcoma, there is a risk that the procedure will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s likelihood of long-term survival. For this reason, and because there is no reliable method for predicting whether a woman with fibroids may have a uterine sarcoma, the FDA discourages the use of laparoscopic power morcellation during hysterectomy or myomectomy for uterine fibroids.”

Johnson & Johnson is currently being sued for their role in laparoscopic power morcellation surgeries. A recent report indicates that Johnson & Johnson were notified of the potential risks for this surgery to spread cancer EIGHT YEARS before an FDA warning lead Johnson & Johnson to suspend the sale of their morcellator products.

Women who developed Uterine Cancer, Stomach Cancer or Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) after undergoing Fibroid Removal or a Hysterectomy may be eligible for compensation.  Don’t let your valuable legal rights expire – request a free case review by visiting:

Click here to receive your free case evaluation.

The post Hysterectomy & Myomectomy Patients Are At Risk appeared first on Citizens Report.