NaturaLyte/GranuFlo Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Texas Family

NaturaLyte/GranuFlo Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Texas Family

By Andrea Gressman

Another NaturaLyte/GranuFlo wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by a family who lost their loved one during dialysis treatment at a Fresenius clinic located in Lubbock, Texas. The lawsuit was filed against Fresenius, who is the manufacturer of the two dialysis products linked to causing the severe cardiac side effects.  

Santos Pena Hernandez was 68 years old when he received his last dialysis treatment on January 17, 2011. During his dialysis treatment he used both GranuFlo and NaturaLyte products, which reportedly caused him to experience a sudden cardiac arrest. The NaturaLyte/GranuFlo wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the wife of Mr. Hernandez in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

GranuFlo and NaturaLyte have been linked to hundreds of situations where severe injuries were caused. In many cases the individual experienced long-term disabilities or even death, as in the case of Mr. Hernandez.  However, this news was not a surprise to Fresenius. In a November 2011 internal memo sent out the Fresenius clinics it stated that GranuFlo and NaturaLyte had caused 941 deaths in the year 2010 alone due to the overdosing of the NaturaLyte and GranuFlo products.

The controversy grows deeper as it was soon discovered that Fresenius only sent the memo to their medical staff and did not send it to other clinics that Fresenius didn’t own but still used GranuFlo and NaturaLyte or to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA only found out about the issue when the internal memo was leaked publically in the early part of 2012. They then opened their own investigation into the matter, which led to a class 1 recall in March of 2012.

While GranuFlo comes in powder form and NaturaLyte comes in liquid form they both come in a concentrated form. They are designed to keep the acid levels within a normal range of the individual receiving the dialysis treatment. However, NaturaLyte and GranuFlo use different active ingredients than other products used for the same purpose and this requires GranuFlo and NaturaLyte to be mixed at a different rate than the other products. But for some reason the medical community was not fully aware of this and mixed the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte products at the same rate as the other products used for this type of treatment. This actually overdosed the patients and caused severe side effects, specifically heart attacks that have been fatal in many cases.   

There have been many NaturaLyte and GranuFlo lawsuits filed against Fresenius. In fact, there have been so many lawsuits filed that two plaintiffs have requested a multidistrict litigation (MDL) be established. Fresenius has also agreed to the MDL; however, the exact location has not been released at this time. A MDL would consolidate many of the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte lawsuits at a federal level. This would also help to streamline the litigation process.

If you received GranuFlo or NaturaLyte during your dialysis treatment and experienced a severe side effect, such as a heart attack, or if you lost a family member due to NaturaLyte or GranuFlo use during dialysis treatment you need to know your legal options. Visit the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack, GranuFlo & NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation page to receive your free legal review from a qualified NaturaLyte/GranuFlo lawsuit attorney.