sudden cardiac arrest 46 articles

Attorneys representing plaintiffs in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) against dialysis giant Fresenius Medical Care over potentially fatal cardiac effects with the company’s GranuFlo and NaturaLyte dialysis products told a judge that hundreds of Massachusetts and Mississippi cases are eligible to join the MDL because there is no proof that patients or their doctors knew about a 2012 FDA warning regarding the products. Fresenius filed a motion to toss out hundreds of cases in the MDL because they were filed three years after the FDA warning, which issued on May 25, 2012. “Defendants pin their hopes on a single FDA safety ... Read More

Fresenius USA, the world’s largest provider of dialysis services and products, pressed a federal judge to throw out hundreds of Massachusetts and Mississippi lawsuits consolidated in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) alleging the company’s dialysis products GranuFlo and NaturaLyte caused patients’ hearts to stop beating. Fresenius’ motion included 169 cases in Massachusetts and 61 in Mississippi. The company contends that the Massachusetts cases were filed more than three years after May 25, 2012 – the date the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety warning regarding the products. Fresenius claims the Mississippi cases involved injuries that occurred after May 25, ... Read More

Fresenius USA Inc., is trying to shake one of hundreds of lawsuits consolidated in a multidistrict litigation alleging its dialysis concentrates GranuFlo and NaturaLyte can cause patients to suffer fatal cardiopulmonary arrest. The dialysis products and services giant claims a woman’s death occurred after the company warned patients of heart risks with the products. Celia D. Ware filed a failure-to-warn claim in Mississippi after her sister died in January 2014 after undergoing dialysis treatment in which the dialysis concentrates were used. Ware’s lawsuit claims that a dosing error with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte caused too much bicarbonate to build up in ... Read More

Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in dialysis patients, and the odds of a kidney patient experiencing cardiac arrest may be found in his DNA, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Cardiac arrest – the sudden cessation of the beating of the heart, which is almost always fatal – is 20 times more likely to occur in dialysis patients compared to people not on dialysis. But dialysis patients with certain genetic factors are much more likely to suffer cardiac arrest, according to the study, which looked at pairs of kidney patients. Researchers ... Read More

Attorneys with Beasley Allen Law Firm are investigating cases of cardiac events including sudden cardiac arrest in patients who underwent dialysis treatment in which GranuFlo or NaturaLyte concentrates were used. GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are used to balance electrolytes in patients undergoing dialysis treatment. They are made by Fresenius Medical Care, and are used in both Fresenius-owned and non-Fresenius-owned dialysis clinics. The products metabolize into a substance called bicarbonate within the body. Elevated levels of bicarbonate can cause heart problems including heart attacks, sudden cardiac arrest, and death. Fresenius became aware that the dosing instructions printed on labels of GranuFlo and ... Read More

Lawsuits were filed against Fresenius Medical Care in a Kentucky circuit court on behalf of the estates of 11 people, alleging the company’s dry acid dialysis products were defective and caused patients injuries and death. Fresenius is the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services. The company supplies dry acid concentrates GranuFlo and NaturaLyte to both Fresenius-owned and non-Fresenius-owned dialysis clinics. The products are used during dialysis to help maintain proper electrolyte levels. Both GranuFlo and NaturaLyte contain an ingredient that metabolizes in the body to bicarbonate. Too much bicarbonate in the blood can cause cardiovascular problems including sudden ... Read More

A Mississippi woman is suing Fresenius Medical Care claiming the dialysis provider gave her husband a lethal dose of a dialysis product that caused him to suffer a fatal cardiovascular event. Marshall Russell Phillips was undergoing dialysis at a treatment center in Brandon, Miss., during which he was administered NaturaLyte and/or GranuFlo dialysis products. The dialysis concentrates are used to help balance electrolytes in patients undergoing dialysis. Fresenius, a world leader in dialysis products and services, manufactures NaturaLyte and GranuFlo and distributes it to both Fresenius-owned and non-Fresenius-owned dialysis clinics. In 2012, the company discovered that the dosing instructions on the ... Read More

American Samoa’s only dialysis clinic was shut down for two days last week after workers were notified that one of its dialysis concentrates was recalled due to possible bacterial contamination. There were no other concentrates available, and dialysis patients were forced to wait until dialysis products provider Fresenius Medical Care could ship replacement concentrates to this small island about 2,300 miles south of Hawaii. Dialysis is a life saving process during which machines filter the blood of patients whose kidneys no longer function properly. Patients generally require about three to four dialysis treatments per week. Going more than three or ... Read More

More than 1,800 lawsuits claiming dialysis service and supplier Fresenius Medical Care failed to warn doctors or patients that its dialysis products GranuFlo and NaturaLyte could cause serious cardiovascular risks have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL). The lawsuits were consolidated under U.S. District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock in the District of Massachusetts. The personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits claim that dialysis giant Fresenius knew the dangers of its dialysis concentrates but neglected to warn health care providers, and also failed to properly train them on how to use the solutions safely. Fresenius manufactures GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, solutions ... Read More

Dialysis products and services giant Fresenius Medical Care asked a Georgia federal judge to dismiss a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit claiming the company fraudulently billed Medicare for excess drugs, arguing that a whistleblower’s allegations were aired in several public documents years before his lawsuit was filed. The documents in question involved three unsealed FCA complaints, an inspector general’s report, a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice, and filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which described the company’s practice of using “overfill” from vials of the anemia drug Epogen and hyperparathyroidism drug Zemplar. Fresenius also challenged the whistleblower, saying ... Read More