On Pradaxa and Undergoing Surgery? Beware.

By Top Class Actions | May 18, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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Pradaxa Usage Before Surgery Increases Risk of Major Bleed

By Scott Hardy

Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Lawsuit Attorney Pill

The risk of uncontrollable internal bleeding while on Pradaxa is getting more attention as surgeons discuss the complications that arise when implanting devices such as pacemakers into patients on the anticoagulant drug. In fact, doctors found that “warfarin patients may fare better than in terms of bleeding and other risk factors.” The article doesn’t address whether patients who experienced bleeding problems while on Pradaxa filed Pradaxa lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim.

In one case a patient on Pradaxa had a “fairly spectacular bleed.” This patient was undergoing ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation. This treatment involves positioning a thin wire (catheter) inside the heart near the pulmonary veins. Radio energy is applied to the tip of the wire to cauterize (ablate) the heart tissue around each pulmonary vein. This can cause internal bleeding which can be corrected if a patient is on warfarin but is much harder to treat for a patient taking Pradaxa. The patient undergoing ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation started to bleed and the internal bleeding was so extensive that they lost more than three liters of blood. In addition, the doctor involved in the study stated that “more thromboembolic complications occurred (stroke and transient ischemic attack) in the dabigatran [Pradaxa] patient group compared to those administered warfarin.” This means that patients taking Pradaxa and undergoing surgery had a much greater chance of having a stroke or symptoms which could lead to a stroke.

The patients in the study may be good candidates to file Pradaxa lawsuits after experiencing internal bleeding during surgery. These Pradaxa internal bleeding or hemorrhage lawsuits would allege that Boehringer Ingelheim did not adequately inform patients, their prescribing doctors, and the doctors performing the surgery, of the risks of uncontrollable bleeds associated with Pradaxa usage, nor did Boehringer Ingelheim warn or otherwise advise on how to intervene and stabilize a patient should a bleed occur during surgery. This is a major issue as surgeons are operating on patients who took Pradaxa and may not be able to stop taking the drug before surgery due to the increased risk of a stroke. In fact, their doctor may want to switch the patient to another drug such as warfarin prior to the surgery but only a licensed medical doctor can make this decision. The only way to medically control internal bleeding via medication is to flush the patient’s system of Pradaxa. This is done via dialysis and could take hours. During that time the patient may bleed out and die or at a minimum require multiple blood transfusions like the patient described above.

Even if you’re not undergoing surgery and on Pradaxa it’s important to know the symptoms of internal bleeding. Pradaxa patients may be experiencing internal bleeding if they have pink or brown urine, red or black stools, bruises that happen without a known cause and may get larger, if they are coughing up blood or blood clots and/or vomiting blood or their vomit includes particles that look like coffee grounds. If you or a family member are taking, or were taking Pradaxa or a blood thinner medication, and experienced internal bleeding or hemorrhage you may be able to file a lawsuit to help you pay for your expenses, pain and suffering, and recovery. You can read the full text of the article which details the issues that doctors are seeing when operating on Pradaxa patients here.

If you would like more information about filing a Pradaxa internal bleeding class action lawsuit, would like to speak with experienced Pradaxa lawyers who are actively filing internal bleeding cases, or would like to file a Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuit just go to the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page. Pradaxa attorneys are actively investigating all claims regarding internal bleeding, hemorrhage and other problems which may have been caused by Pradaxa or warfarin. Remember, the Pradaxa lawyers who work with Top Class Actions will tell you if you have a case for free. There’s never any charge for an initial consultation with an attorney filing Pradaxa lawsuit you find through Top Class Actions.

Updated May 18th, 2012

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