Maryland Woman Sues Fresenius for Mother’s Wrongful Death

Maryland Woman Sues Fresenius for Mother’s Wrongful Death

By Amanda Antell

Maryland plaintiff Cora Littles is suing Fresenius Medical Care for the wrongful death of her mother, Ethel Rawlings. Rawlings was using the dialysis concentrates GranuFlo and NaturaLyte to treat her failing kidneys when she died. 

During a routine dialysis procedure on February 20, 2012, Rawlings had the usual doses of NaturaLyte and GranuFlo administered into her dialysis mixture, having no suspicion or idea of what was about to occur to her. However, at some point in the procedure, Rawlings suffered a sudden heart attack, and she had to be rushed to immediate medical care. Rawlings died several days later on February 27, 2012 due to cardiac failure, according to the Fresenius lawsuit.

Overview of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Complications

Fresenius Medical Company is the largest dialysis corporation in the world. In America alone, there are approximately 1,800 Fresenius dialysis centers. Fresenius also sells and distributes dialysis products for some 1,500 unaffiliated clinics in the United States. GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are the most popular of the Fresenius products.

GranuFlo is a dry concentrate that is dissolved into a dialysis liquid that is intravenously inserted into the body. NaturaLyte is its liquid cousin, watered down by other components in the elixir. Both concentrates cause bicarbonate levels in the blood stream to rise, allowing the pH to naturally stabilize the kidneys. Because only a certain level of concentrates is allowed in each dialysis treatment, dialysis patients are supposed to be heavily monitored by physicians. If left unchecked, the potassium levels will rise too quickly, which can cause GranuFlo cardiac death, stroke and other serious health complications.

At the time of Rawlings’s treatment, she had no reason to suspect that she was in danger, the Fresenius lawsuit says. The decedent, as well as millions of other patients, relies on the information that Fresenius Medical Company provided them. At no point in time did Fresenius contact the decedent or inform the medical community or general public of these possible occurrences. In fact, it wasn’t until an internal memo from Fresenius was leaked to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), that the company confessed to these complications. After the internal memo was leaked to the FDA on March 29, 2012, the agency immediately issued a Class 1 recall of the products. At this time, GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are still being used by thousands of dialysis patients across the United States. 

Following the leak, Fresenius not only admitted to being aware of these potential GranuFlo or NaturaLyte complications, but they had conducted their own extensive study on the product to study these likelihoods. From the results of these studies, more than 900 patients had died from sudden cardiac deaths in direct result of using GranuFlo or NaturaLyte. Originally, Fresenius only sent this memo out to their clinics and employed physicians, but even then, they did not fully explain the risks associated with these products.

GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Litigation Movement

This GranuFlo lawsuit is currently a part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) movement against Fresenius, joining thousands of lawsuits alleging similar allegations and injuries. Littles is suing Fresenius for false advertising, negligence, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This GranuFlo MDL is Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 1:13-md-02428-DPW, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

File a GranuFlo or NaturaLyte Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one have been the victim of a GranuFlo and NaturaLyte injury, you have legal options. Please visit the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned GranuFlo and NaturaLyte lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees. The dialysis injury attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.