A newly widowed woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care North America alleging that her late husband suffered a heart attack and died following hemodialysis treatment using GranuFlo – a liquid given to dialysis patients to replace amino acids that are lost during the hemodialysis process. This widow’s story is becoming all too common.
Thousands Report Serious GranuFlo / NaturaLyte Injuries
According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, thousands of people have reported suffering serious injuries or death after being exposed to GranuFlo and a similar product known as NaturaLyte – both manufactured by Fresenius and used at thousands of dialysis clinics across the country.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Fresenius recalled certain lots of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte products in March 2012 and warned that these products can contribute to elevated bicarbonate levels in dialysis patients when administered in improper doses. That can lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis that, if not treated, can result in serious GranuFlo and NaturaLyte side effects such as:
- Cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat)
- Cardiopulmonary arrest (heart attack)
- Coma
- Convulsions
- Heart failure
- Hypercapnia (elevated carbon dioxide levels)
- Hypokalemia (low potassium levels)
- Hypoxemia (low oxygen levels)
- Low blood pressure.
GranuFlo Lawsuits May Be Consolidated For Pretrial Proceedings
So many lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturer that plaintiffs have filed a petition with the Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). They are seeking to consolidate all GranuFlo lawsuits in a single federal court in order to coordinate pretrial proceedings and efficiently manage the litigation.
If you or a family member has been injured due to GranuFlo or NaturaLyte, contact The Driscoll Firm, LLC, to find out whether you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries, including lost income, hospital and medical bills, medical monitoring, pain and suffering and more.
