Hospital and Morcellator Manufacturer Face Wrongful Death Suit

A year and a half after Erica Kaitz passed away from uterine cancer, her husband Rick has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Brigham and Women’s Hospital and power morcellator manufacturer Karl Storz. Kaitz alleges that the hospital’s use of a morcellator during his wife’s laparoscopic hysterectomy in mid-2012 caused the spread of aggressive hidden cancer in her uterus which led to her death. Concerns over the surgical device have grown following FDA warnings about the risks of disseminating cancer when the device is used during surgery, leading to the abandonment of its use by several hospitals and denial of coverage by insurance companies; however the tool remains on the market.