Granuflo Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed In California

By Author: Greg Phillips
Total Articles: 6
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A California man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care, manufacturer of the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte dialysis treatments. The plaintiff, Joseph Thiede, is filing on behalf of his mother, who died in May 2011 after receiving Fresenius dialysis treatments. Thiede claims that the treatments were the direct cause of his mother’s untimely passing.



According to Thiede, the use of a Fresenius product during his mother’s hemodialysis treatment led to alkalosis and subsequent cardiac arrest and death. Alkalosis is one of the most common complaints associated with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. To put it in the simplest terms possible, it’s a condition in which the body fluids are flooded with excess base (alkali); it’s the opposite of acidosis, whereby the body has excess acid.



Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has gotten involved. According to the FDA:



The manufacturer is cautioning clinicians to be aware of the concentration of acetate or sodium diacetate ...
... (acetic acid plus acetate) contained in Fresenius’ Naturalyte Liquid and Granuflo Dry Acid Concentrate. Inappropriate prescription of these products can lead to a high serum bicarbonate level in patients undergoing hemodialysis. This may contribute to metabolic alkalosis, which is a significant risk factor associated with low blood pressure, hypokalemia, hypoxemia, hypercapnia and cardiac arrhythmia, which, if not appropriately treated, may culminate in cardiopulmonary arrest. This product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including death.



Of course, the manufacturer only got involved after lengthy investigations revealed the truth. In fact, the company became the subject of intense controversy after the release of an internal memo from 2011. The memo revealed that Fresenius knew that its products might be linked to alkalosis, cardiac arrest and even death, but it was only issued to Fresenius clinics. Non-Fresenius clinics never received the message, nor did the FDA or the general public. And that concealment is at the center of this new wrongful death case.



In his complaint, filed in court by his California GrafnuFlo lawyer, Thiede alleges that “repeated and continuous use of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte on decedent during [his mother's] dialysis treatments” led to her injuries and untimely death on May 1, 2011. The suit also claims that his mother was unaware of the associated dangers, and if she had been properly warned, she would have chosen safer alternatives. Thiede is seeking unspecified compensatory, consequential and punitive damages.



If someone you love has been injured or killed as a result of a GranuFlo or NaturaLyte treatment, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a personal injury law firm that specializes in medical device defects to discuss your potential case. You must act quickly, though. In order to gather the proper evidence to win your case, GranuFlo lawyers must begin their investigation as quickly as possible.