A Texas woman filed a lawsuit against Fresenius USA on January 14, claiming that side effects associated with the company’s GranuFlo and NaturaLyte solutions caused her husband’s death following hemodialysis treatment. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Emma Hernandez in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, on behalf of herself and her …
A Texas woman filed a lawsuit against Fresenius USA on January 14, claiming that side effects associated with the company’s GranuFlo and NaturaLyte solutions caused her husband’s death following hemodialysis treatment. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Emma Hernandez in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, on behalf of herself and her late husband, Santos Pena Hernandez. According to allegations raised in the complaint, Santos Hernandez died on January 17, 2011, after suffering a cardiac arrest following dialysis treatment, with included Fresenius’ GranuFlo and NaturaLyte solutions. If you have experienced an adverse health event and you believe GranuFlo or NaturaLyte to be the cause, contact our knowledgeable attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center for legal help.
GranuFlo Patients May Be at Risk for Cardiac Arrest
According to the wrongful death lawsuit, Hernandez, 68, received hemodialysis treatment on January 16, 2011, and the next day complained that he was bloated and did not feel well. On January 17, he awoke at 2:30 am and tried to get dressed. He told his wife, Emma, that he had a headache and then clutched at his heart. Emma Hernandez called 911 after her husband began spitting up white saliva, but by the time the ambulance arrived, Santos Hernandez was already dead. The Hernandez’s wrongful death lawsuit isn’t the only legal action taken against Fresenius USA recently; the firm faces a growing number of complaints involving its GranuFlo and NaturaLyte dialysis solutions, which have been associated with an increased risk of cardiac arrest when bicarbonate levels are not carefully monitored during hemodialysis.
Fresenius Accused of Failure to Warn
Fresenius operates many of its own dialysis clinics in the United States, and is the largest provider of dialysis services and products, including GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, in the world. NaturaLyte is a liquid acid concentrate and GranuFlo is a dry acid concentrate, and both contain sodium acetate, which allegedly converts to bicarbonate at higher-than-expected levels for most doctors. It is the company’s alleged failure to disclose the risks associated with its products that has put Fresenius at the center of a fierce legal debate. As the complaint filed by Emma Hernandez states, “Mr. Hernandez’s injury and death, like those striking thousands of similarly situated victims across the country, were avoidable tragedies. GranuFlo and NaturaLyte have been implicated in a national epidemic of deaths of dialysis patients.”
FDA Recalls GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Solutions
In November 2011, Fresenius issued an internal memo to its own clinics, warning doctors about the risk of life-threatening complications when GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are used during hemodialysis. Unfortunately, the company inexplicably failed to extend to non-Fresenius dialysis clinics this same warning, which indicated that as many as 941 GranuFlo patients had experienced sudden cardiac arrest during or after dialysis treatment in 2010, believed to be due to improper administration of the drug. In early 2012, the FDA issued a Class I recall for GranuFlo and NaturaLyte solutions due to the significant risk of heart attacks and death among dialysis patients.
Our Experienced Attorneys Can Help You File a Claim
Emma Hernandez’s complaint accuses Fresenius of negligence, negligent misrepresentation, strict liability, fraud, breach of warranty, failure to warn, deceptive trade practices and wrongful death. She is seeking compensation for economic losses, mental anguish, and the value of her husband’s life, including expected income, protection, care, services, companionship and comfort. If you received GranuFlo or NaturaLyte during hemodialysis, and you have since experienced a serious side effect, or if you lost a loved one to a heart attack potentially linked to GranuFlo, consult our qualified lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center today. Our attorneys have extensive experience protecting the legal rights of those harmed by pharmaceutical drugs, and will work diligently to help you pursue the financial compensation you deserve for your losses.