Texas Granuflo Lawyer – Texas Granuflo Lawsuit
If you or a loved one suffered certain side effects from Granuflo you may be entitled to financial compensation from the manufacturer. Call us today to get the facts. Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or use our online contact form and a Texas Granuflo Lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to answer your questions and discuss your possible claim. This is a free, no obligation case review and there are no legal fees unless you receive money at the end of the case. Time is limited, so please call today.
Texas Granuflo Attorney
Granuflo
Chronic kidney failure affects roughly two in 1,000 Americans. Those that do not have properly function kidneys must undergo hemodialysis, which is a procedure that uses machines to remove waste and toxins from the blood and then returns it to the body. Essentially, hemodialysis performs the function of what a normally functioning kidney would do.
Granuflo is a component of DIALYSATE, which doctors use during hemodialysis to clean a patient’s blood. Granuflo is vital to the dialysis process to neutralize the amount of acid buildup in the blood. It is combined with Naturalyte, which is a liquid, to form sodium diacetate. The sodium diacetate is made up of both bicarbonate and acetate, which are vital to actually perform the dialysis process. These substances act as the kidneys normally would to neutralize excess acid in the blood and filter it out.
In this process, the body receives twice the amount of bicarbonate than it would otherwise need, which can cause health problems. It can result in a pH imbalance in the blood known as “metabolic alkalosis.” In fact, too much bicarbonate can result in a sudden, fatal heart attack in some patients. Some may even suffer catastrophic heart injuries and death within 48 hours of the dialysis treatment.
Recalls and FDA Involvement
The FDA issued a Class I recall for Granuflo Dry Acid Concentrate in June 2012. Class I recalls are used in extremely serious situations—where the FDA believes that a product, device, or medication has a reasonable probability of causing a serious health condition or death.
Prior to the recall, there is evidence that Fresenius Medical Care, the manufacturer of the substance, knew about the concerns with cardiac arrest and failed to tell the public about the information. In fact, they issued an internal memo about the product in November of 2011 to warn their own doctors about the potential concerns associated with using the treatment. Other doctors, however, were not warned until the internal memo was leaked to the FDA in March 2012.
Granuflo Lawsuits
In February 2016, Fresenius proposed a settlement of $250 million to victims of adverse effects of the product and to those who had lost loved ones due to the product. Those who have sued may have also suffered from the following adverse effects.
- Irregular heart beat
- Low blood pressure
- High blood carbon dioxide
- Stroke
- Low blood oxygen
- Low potassium levels
Low potassium levels can lead to muscle damage, tingling feelings and numbness in the limbs, fatigue, constipation, muscle weakness or spasms.