Fresenius Dialysis Death Alleged in New Lawsuit

Plaintiff Patricia Hale has filed a product liability lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care on behalf of Robert Hale, who allegedly died as a result of using the Fresenius dialysis products NaturaLyte and GranuFlo.

In February 2012, Hale died suddenly after his dialysis treatment with either GranuFlo or NaturaLyte. His cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest. According to the lawsuit, neither he nor his physicians were aware of a risk of sudden cardiac death associated with these products.

The GranuFlo lawsuit alleges that Hale’s death was the result of changes in his blood chemistry caused by GranuFlo or NaturaLyte. Various studies have allegedly linked these dialysis products to an increased risk of alkalosis, or a high blood pH. A dangerously increased blood pH can cause a host of heart problems, including sudden cardiac arrest.

According to an internal memo, Fresenius was aware of this risk associated with their dialysis products as early as November 2011. The lawsuit holds that an internal memo indicated that Fresenius was aware of these risks as early as 2005. Eventually, the 2011 memo was leaked to the FDA, which in turn led to a Class I recall of the device in March 2012.

Patricia Hale’s lawsuit has joined others in multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Fresenius. An MDL is a type of group lawsuit similar to a class action lawsuit. In both MDLs and class action lawsuits, a number of people allege similar harms under similar circumstances. The main difference is that in a class action lawsuit, all of the alleged injured parties are represented by a single legal team, while in an MDL each one of the plaintiffs retains their own legal counsel.

The GranuFlo lawsuit is  Patricia Hale, Personal Representative of the Estate of Robert Hale, vs. Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated, doing business as Fresenius Medical Care North America et al, Case No. 1:14-cv-10235-DPW, within the MDL In Re: Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Disalysate Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2428, filed filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Help for GranuFlo Victims

If you, or someone you care about, suffered from heart problems after undergoing dialysis with Fresenius products, you have almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. The type of complications allegedly linked to GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are medical emergencies, and can be life threatening. When facing such a situation, many people feel overwhelmed, or even depressed.

But regardless of the challenges you are facing, you need to remember that you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack Issues GranuFlo Lawsuit & NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation. The initial consultation is completely free of charge, and from it, you can receive valuable guidance on the best steps to take in your exact situation.