Fatal Car Accident Cited in GranuFlo Heart Attack Lawsuit

On June 3rd, 2013, an Iowa man filed a lawsuit seeking damages from Fresenius Medical Care, makers of the dialysate GranuFlo. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (Davenport Division), alleges that the man suffered a heart attack as a result of using GranuFlo. The heart attack led to a fatal car accident. The plaintiff receives kidney dialysis treatments three times a week at the University of Iowa Hospital. Shortly after his visit on March 7, 2011, he reported feeling sick and light-headed. Later that day while driving to work, the plaintiff suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. The truck he was driving swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with a passenger van containing a family of three. As a result of the accident, the driver of the van died. His wife and small child required hospital treatment. The plaintiff suffered a broken femur, a broken hip, and a shattered pelvis. According to the lawsuit, Fresenius is accused of negligence and failure to provide adequate warnings about GranuFlo side effects and is liable for the suffering caused to all parties as a result of the accident.

Thousands of Patients at Risk

Approximately 3,300 dialysis centers in the United States have used GranuFlo. Some are operated directly by Fresenius and many others buy the company’s dialysates. GranuFlo is used during hemodialysis to offset the acid produced by kidney malfunction. The recent GranuFlo lawsuit states that the sodium acetate in the dialysate converts to sodium bicarbonate at an unusually high level. As a result of receiving the treatment, thousands of patients may have been unwittingly overdosed with sodium bicarbonate. Before the FDA issued a Class 1 recall of the product on March 29th, 2012, it is estimated that a quarter of a million patients were treated with GranuFlo. The FDA recalled the product after a memo surfaced clearly warning that the risk of cardiac arrest was up to eight times higher with GranuFlo compared to other dialysates. The internal memo, dated November 2011, was sent only to Fresenius-owned clinics and not issued to non-Fresenius clinics which constitute nearly half of all clinics that used GranuFlo. Multiple GranuFlo lawsuits are pending against Fresenius, and due to the large number of patients who have been treated with GranuFlo, that number is expected to rise. The lawsuits have been consolidated into a Multidistrict Litigation in the District of Massachusetts.

GranuFlo Lawsuit Attorneys

If you or someone you love has been injured by Fresenius Medical Care’s GranuFlo or NaturaLyte dialysis products, please contact one of our skilled national GranuFlo lawsuit lawyers today to protect your rights. To learn more about your rights and legal options, call the Phillips Law Firm today. Our experienced GranuFlo lawsuit lawyers have represented families across the country in their quest for justice. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. For a free consultation fill out the form on the right or call 1-800-708-6000.

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