According to attorneys, Fresenius USA, Inc. is being presented with more than 300 lawsuits over its GranuFlo products, and additional lawsuits are expected to be filed soon. The attorneys heading the lawsuits allege that while alkali errors with GranuFlo products had been known to Fresenius, the company did not take steps to alert doctors and patients about the heightened risk of heart attack faced by dialysis patients taking GranuFlo.
Court documents associated with GranuFlo lawsuits describe the details of the situation. More than 300 lawsuits have been filed on behalf of patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure or their survivors. These lawsuits have been filed after patients receiving dialysis products made by Fresenius experienced cardiac arrest and other catastrophic health problems. Specifically, the products causing these issues are the Naturalyte Liquid Acid Concentrate and Naturalyte GranuFlo Acid Concentrate. Attorneys heading the Kentucky GranuFlo lawsuits state that they are seeking damages to cover the costs of personal injury and death that have resulted from normal use of these dialysis products manufactured by Fresenius.In documents released by attorneys in the GranuFlo lawsuits, GranuFlo is said to result in a fast and dangerous rise in bicarbonate levels in the blood of patients. As a direct consequence of this action, patients have six to eight times the risk of suffering cardiac arrest or death. Attorneys stated that Fresenius was aware or should have been aware of these risks considering their own case-control study, which demonstrated an increased incidence of cardiac arrest and death among 940 patients who received treatment with GranuFlo. These heightened risks are present while patients are receiving dialysis and last for as long as two days afterwards. Kentucky GranuFlo lawsuits have been consolidated under MDL 2428.
The products at the center of the Kentucky GranuFlo lawsuits are used by medical personnel to prevent acidosis in patients receiving dialysis. These types of products are necessary in order to neutralize acid that accumulates in the blood stream of dialysis patients. Because of dosing problems associated with GranuFlo products, some patients may have suffered cardiac arrest after receiving dialysis. In addition to the dosing issues, attorneys also allege that Fresenius was aware of these problems and informed its own clinics, which make up about one-third of all dialysis clinics in the U.S., but failed to inform other dialysis centers of the issue. The FDA only learned of the situation through an anonymous leak of an internal company memo. The FDA responded by forcing a Class 1 recall of the GranuFlo and Naturalyte products in March 2012. Unfortunately, attorneys heading Kentucky GranuFlo lawsuits note that more than 200 patients experienced cardiac arrest during or after dialysis in 2012.
Kentucky GranuFlo Lawsuits
If you or a loved one have suffered cardiac arrest or death due to GranuFlo or Naturalyte dialysis products, you may be able to receive compensation. You should contact Attorney Group for Kentucky right away to find out if you qualify to participate in these lawsuits. Attorney Group for Kentucky is here to answer all of your legal questions and to help you determine whether you may have a claim to damages from Fresenius.
