Center Valley, Pa.-based Olympus America announced an improved version of its electric morcellator, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Here's what you should know.
1. Electric morcellators, a tissue-fragmenting device, had been largely abandoned because the device hurled undetected bits of cancer through a patient's abdominal cavity. The FDA estimated every one-in-350 procedures left a patient at risk.
2. To address the issue, Olympus attached a containment bag to the device to prevent the spread of uterine cancer. Olympus is pairing the device with the PneumoLiner which helps to avoid the spread of any tissue fragments.
3. Olympus is marketing the device for use in patients that have a "low risk of having an unexpected malignancy," said Arnold Advincula, MD, the chief of gynecology at New York's Sloane Women's Hospital.
4. Surgeons looking to use the device must undergo a formal training protocol to ensure its proper use.
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