GranuFlo Wrongful Death Lawsuits Filed Against Fresenius

September 4, 2012 — Fresenius Medical Care, Inc. is facing multiple wrongful death lawsuits regarding its GranuFlo and Naturalyte dialysis products. The products have recalled because they can cause heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, and death. One of the most recent lawsuits was filed by Betty Lemmond in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on August 10, 2012. Her husband died of a heart attack in 2010 after being treated with GranuFlo and Naturalyte.

Fresenius also faces another GranuFlo wrongful death lawsuit in Alabama. Arthurine Williams filed the lawsuit on behalf of her husband, who died in 2010 after being given GranuFlo during dialysis treatment. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on July 27, 2012. The product liability lawsuit alleges that Fresenius, Inc. knew that its GranuFlo and Naturalyte products were associated with heart attacks, but failed to warn doctors and consumers about the risk.

Fresenius Medical Care operates hundreds of dialysis clinics in the United States. They also manufacture GranuFlo and Naturalyte, two products used during dialysis to balance the acidity of blood before it is returned to the patient. Unfortunately, GranuFlo and Naturalyte contain an ingredient that is converted to bicarbonate once it is inside the patient’s body. Bicarbonate is routinely administered during dialysis, but patients given GranuFlo and Naturalyte can easily suffer a deadly bicarbonate overdose.

There were 941 deaths at Fresenius clinics in 2010, and many of these deaths occurred because a bicarbonate overdose caused low blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, or other complications that caused death.

Although Fresenius was aware of the problem in November 2011, the FDA did not become aware of the issue until March 2012, when an anonymous source sent the FDA an internal memo. After the FDA questioned Fresenius executives about the memo, the company agreed to voluntarily issue a Class 1 recall of GranuFlo and Naturalyte.

Many people have already filed wrongful death lawsuits against Fresenius for failing to warn about the life-threatening risks of GranuFlo and Naturalyte. If the court agrees, Fresenius could be held responsible for injuries that occurred. If you or your loved one was injured by GranuFlo or Naturalyte, contact The Clark Firm, LLP regarding a lawsuit. You could receive compensation for your injury, medical expenses, wrongful death of your loved one, and more.

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