Woman Files Lawsuit Over Husband’s GranuFlo Heart Attack Death
By Andrea Gressman
On November 13, 1012, a new GranuFlo/NaturaLyte lawsuit was filed on behalf of an Ohio widow. It is claimed in the GranuFlo lawsuit that the woman’s husband experienced a heart attack, which led to his death, while using GranuFlo or NaturaLyte in his dialysis treatment.
The GranuFlo/NaturaLyte lawsuit names Fresenius Medical Care as the defendant and was filed in the United States District Court in the Southern District of Ohio. Deborah Swigert, the victim’s widow and the GranuFlo/NaturaLyte lawsuit plaintiff, has charged Fresenius Medical Care with a number of counts. These include negligence, common law fraud, inadequate warnings, failure to conform to representations and warranties, defective manufacturing and design, and wrongful death. She has also claimed loss of consortium. Mrs. Swigert seeks damages from the drug manufacture in excess of $75,000.
GranuFlo Lawsuit Plaintiff’s Husband Died Due Medication Induced Cardiac Arrest, Lawsuit Claims
According to the GranuFlo/NaturaLyte lawsuit, the plaintiff’s husband, Charles Swigert, underwent dialysis treatment in a Fresenius Medical Center located in Ohio. The treatment took place on November 11, 2010. During that time the victim was seen by a doctor who conducted a check of his lungs and heart, a dietician, and a social worker. From there Mrs. Swigert was informed by the nurse that Mr. Swigert would be done with his treatment and taken off of his dialysis machine in 15 minutes. However, only a few minutes into the treatment Mr. Swigert experienced a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital but ended up passing away anyway despite the attempts medical professionals made to save his life.
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Can Lead to Deadly Side Effects Due to Higher Acetate Levels
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are both concentrates that are commonly used in kidney dialysis treatment. They are used to prevent the acid buildup in the blood stream. However, both of these concentrates us sodium diacetate as opposed to acetic acid that other dialysis concentrates use. As a result, NaturaLyte and GranuFlo contain two times as much acetate as other dialysis concentrates.
Fresenius Issues Internal Memo Warning of Deadly Side Effects
Fresenius Medical issued an internal memo in late 2011 where they warned the dialysis centers owned by Fresenius but failed to provide such warning to the kidney dialysis centers still using GranuFlo and NaturaLyte that were not owned by Fresenius of the potential side effect risks. The memo informed doctors that they were not properly mixing the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte concentrates and, therefore, patients were essentially being overdosed resulting in many side effect deaths as a result. In fact, according to the memo there had been over 900 deaths in Fresenius dialysis centers as a result.
Ultimately, this memo was leaked to the FDA. The FDA then started an inquiry in the spring of 2012, which lead to the FDA issuing a Class I recall shortly following in June of 2012. It is apparent that there will be more GranuFlo and NaturaLyte lawsuits filed as awareness of these side effect issues continues to grow.
File Your GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Lawsuit
If you or someone you love experienced a heart attack because of using NaturaLyte or GranuFlo in their dialysis treatment, contact an experienced NaturaLyte or GranuFlo lawsuit attorney immediately. Visit the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack, GranuFlo & NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation page to learn more about your legal options and receive your free consultation.
Updated December 18th, 2012
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