The dialysis products Granuflo and Naturalyte have been linked to an increased risk of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary arrest. In 2012, Granuflo and Naturalyte were recalled after more than 900 people were injured by these side effects. Hundreds of people who suffered from cardiac arrest during or after dialysis treatment have filed lawsuits.
What You Can Do & How a Naturalyte & GranuFlo Lawsuit Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Naturalyte and GranuFlo induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by GranuFlo cardiac arrest, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What are GranuFlo and Naturalyte?
GranuFlo Dry Acid Concentrate and Naturalyte Liquid Concentrate are two products used in dialysis (in which patients with kidney failure have the toxins mechanically removed from their bloodstream). During dialysis, acid normally increases in the blood. Before the blood can be returned to the patient, a doctor must balance the acidity and alkalinity of the blood.
What is the problem?
Bicarbonate is often used to lower the acidity of blood. Other products may also be used — including GranuFlo and Naturalyte. Other products usually consist primarily of acetic acid. However, GranuFlo and Naturalyte consist of acetic acid plus acetate. The problem is that acetate is rapidly converted to bicarbonate by the patient’s liver.
Patients who are given GranuFlo or Naturalyte have bicarbonate levels that continue rising beyond what the physician initially prescribed. As you might imagine, health care professionals who are not aware of this can easily make a mistake with the dosage, causing the patient to suffer a bicarbonate overdose. When this occurs, the patient is at risk of sudden cardiac arrest and death.
Due to the risk of cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke, and death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published warnings and issued a Class 1 recall of the GranuFlo and Naturalyte dialysis treatment products.
Fresenius Warns of GranuFlo Cardiac Arrest
Fresenius Medical Care is the world’s largest provider of dialysis clinics and dialysis products. They manufacture GranuFlo and Naturalyte, two products that have been recalled due to an increased risk of cardiac arrest and death. Fresenius staff noticed that, in 2010, there were 941 patients at Fresenius clinics who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. The staff noticed that patients with high bicarbonate levels before dialysis were six times more likely to suffer a cardiac arrest.
Fresenius sent a memo to doctors at their own clinics on November 4, 2011. They did not sent the memo to anyone else. The FDA was not informed of the safety risk. Doctors at other dialysis clinics who were also using GranuFlo and Naturalyte were not informed. The FDA was not informed of the risk until March 2012.
What is Cardiac Arrest?
Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack occurs because a blood clot clogs a coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart tissue. Cardiac arrest occurs when something disrupts the electrical activity in the heart, causing the heart to suddenly stop beating. Sudden cardiac arrest has a very low survival rate — unless heart function is immediately restored (usually with a defibrillator), the patient can suffer brain death within a few minutes.
Symptoms of a Cardiac Arrest
- Fainting
- Blackouts
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Heart palpitations
- Vomiting
- Sudden collapse
- No pulse
- No breathing
- Loss of consciousness
- Death
Do I have a Naturalyte & GranuFlo Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Naturalyte and GranuFlo induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by dialysis cardiac arrest, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
