Bronx Man Files New York GranuFlo Lawsuit
On May 24, 2013, Melvin L. Brown, a resident of the Bronx, New York, filed a New York GranuFlo lawsuit against manufacturer Fresenius Medical Care. His New York dialysis injury lawyer is proceeding with the case in the Superior Court, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Brown claims that after receiving a regular dialysis treatment at a Fresenius Medical Clinic located in New York City—during which the concentrate products GranuFlo and/or NaturaLyte were used—he suffered a cardiac event. He seeks in excess of $25,000 in damages.
On June 27, 2012, the FDA issued a Class I recall notice for NaturaLyte and GranuFlo, both of which are often used during dialysis treatments to control acid buildup in the blood. The agency warned that the products could cause serious adverse health consequences, including death.
Patient claims cardiac event in New York GranuFlo lawsuit
According to court documents, Brown regularly received dialysis treatments at the New York Fresenius clinic. After the treatment in September 2012, however, he suffered a cardiac event. It wasn’t until March 2013 that he learned of the connection between his injuries and Fresenius’s products.
Patients like Brown who suffer from kidney failure often receive dialysis treatments to clean waste products out of the blood. During these procedures, they are at risk of acid buildup in the blood. Physicians neutralize this acid through the use of bicarbonates present in products like GranuFlo and NaturaLyte.
It’s necessary, however, to carefully monitor a patient’s blood levels of bicarbonate, however. Too much bicarbonate can lead to a condition known as “alkalosis,” which can lead to heart rhythm problems and heart attack.
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte more concentrated
In November 2011, Fresenius released an internal company memo notifying doctors that high bicarbonate levels were an independent risk factor in dialysis deaths. They had discovered this after analyzing data from 941 patients who died in their facilities in 2010.
They further noted that when using products like GranuFlo and NaturaLyte—which were more concentrated than older, similar products—levels of bicarbonate could appear deceptively low on the dialysis machine reading. Because these products are more potent than their predecessors, doctors could use less to achieve the same result, but many of them were apparently unaware of the difference.
New York dialysis injury lawyer claims defendants failed to warn
On May 25, 2012, the FDA notified healthcare practitioners of dosing errors related to GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. By that time, however, many patients had already suffered from unnecessary injuries. Though Fresenius notified their own doctors of the dangers in November 2011, they failed to warn outside facilities that were also using the same products of the dangers until March 2013, after the FDA started asking questions.
According to Brown’s New York dialysis injury lawyer, Fresenius knowingly withheld this important information from the thousands of non-Fresenius physicians and clinics using their product, exposing thousands of people to risks.
New York dialysis injury lawyer can help
Other New Yorkers who have been injured in a dialysis procedure by GranuFlo or NaturaLyte may be eligible to file a lawsuit. It’s important to contact a New York dialysis injury lawyer immediately, however. All states have a statute of limitations, which means patients have a limited amount of time to pursue compensation through a New York Granuflo lawsuit.
Call The Sanders Firm today for a complimentary consultation about your case: 800-FAIR-PLAY.
