Widower Sues Manufacturer of GranuFlo for Wrongful Death of Wife

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the manufacturer of GranuFlo, Fresenius Medical Care, by Armando Rodriguez after his wife, Boni Sue Rodriguez, suffered two heart attacks and died following hemodialysis treatment using GranuFlo. The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court, Northern District on December 17, 2012, alleges that Fresenius failed to warn doctors and patients that GranuFlo, a concentrate used in dialysis treatment to clean waste and toxins from the blood of patients whose kidneys do not function properly, contains acetate which may cause elevated bicarbonate levels in the blood. Because a bicarbonate overdose in the blood may cause a condition called metabolic alkalosis, which can lead to life-threatening consequences such as heart arrhythmias, hypokalemia, heart attack, or cardiopulmonary arrest, both doctors and patients should have been warned that GranuFlo contained acetate and could lead to this dangerous condition.

The plaintiff, Mr. Rodriguez, claims that his wife’s death could have been prevented if Fresenius had properly warned doctors and patients of the risks of GranuFlo. Fresenius was aware of the risks associated with their product at the time Mrs. Rodriguez underwent hemodialysis treatment with GranuFlo. An internal memo issued by Fresenius on November 4, 2011 warned that GranuFlo could lead to a greater risk of cardiac arrest and other heart problems. In November 2011, Fresenius sent an internal warning to its own network of dialysis clinics, but failed to warn doctors at outside clinics and other dialysis providers that used GranuFlo of these risks. The memo was leaked anonymously to the FDA in March, 2012, and a recall of GranuFlo and a similar product, NaturaLyte, was issued later that month. For more information on the recall, please visit this site.

Mr. Rodriguez seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the unfortunate death of his wife.

If you believe that you or a family member suffered an adverse health condition as a result of GranuFlo or NaturaLyte, please contact Khorrami, LLP to set up a confidential consultation.

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