Fresenius Medical Care is a company who operates most United States’ dialysis treatment centers and provides supplies for dialysis to most dialysis services worldwide. It has recently been discovered that this company has been using and selling GranuFlo, a product that may have lead to hundreds of deaths in patients using dialysis because of cardiac arrest. GranuFlo is a treatment of dry acid that is used in the dialysis process. Fresenius uses this product within their own centers and also sells it to other centers it does not own and an estimation of about 125,000 patients are treated each year at those other centers.
Lack of Concern By Fresenius
Fresenius found out that GranuFlo had a dosing problem because it forces the body to make bicarbonate, and several dialysis patients are taking bicarbonate already. In response to learning this they did not remove the product even after learning this and despite the fact that a bicarbonate overdose has dangerously high risks of sudden cardiac arrest. Instead of immediately notifying all parties involved informing them of the risk and telling them to discontinue using the product, they only gave warnings to the clinicians within their own center about its risks and informed only them how to work around it. Fresenius did not let the Food and Drug Administration know of the problem, and they did not recall this product. They also failed to share this information with the other centers not owned by them. According to Fresenius’ own accounting, an estimated 600 people died due to sudden cardiac death in 2011. This unfortunate lack of concern and senseless negligence may have been the cause of numerous injuries and deaths to innocent patients. The Food and Drug Administration is conducting currently an investigation into what exactly happened and why Fresenius did not voluntarily recall GranuFlo, as well as to the reason they chose not share such crucial knowledge with the management of other dialysis centers.
Following the discovery of such concerning issues with GranuFlo, there was an immediate issuance of a Class I recall and the product is not being used any longer. Unfortunately though, this comes far too late for those innocent victims who have suffered and even died because of a product by Fresenius along with their lack of communication regarding such critical information. For patients who suffered cardiac arrest because of GranuFlo, their health was compromised tremendously and for those whose loved ones died due to cardiac arrest after receiving the product, the loss is devastating.
Oklahoma Granuflo Lawsuits
Associates of Oklahoma Attorney Group understand your pain, outrage and disbelief. Our affiliated Oklahoma Granuflo Lawsuits attorneys have devoted themselves to pursuing justice on behalf of victims of dangerous products for years, and they can help you too by representing your case in Oklahoma Granuflo Lawsuits against Fresenius Medical Care seeking recovery for your medical expenses, compensation if you had a wrongful death of your loved one, as well as your pain and suffering.
