A dialysis center that was shut down in Bessemer, Alabama, following the infection-related deaths of two patients has a prior history of health violations, according to a report on Al.com.
In a report about a year ago, the Alabama health department cited the clinic over multiple infection-control deficiencies. In one of those cases, a patient was hospitalized.
The clinic’s owner, German company Fresenius, has previously been accused of subjecting patients to dangerous conditions.
Plaintiffs in a number of lawsuits allege that Fresenius sat on information that one of its products is potentially deadly.
In November, 2011, the company sent a memo to dialysis centers that the company operates in the United States, warning them that its Granuflo product was linked with a higher risk of cardiac arrest. That in-house memo referred to “troubling findings” about Granuflo’s potential connection to cardiac arrest, and advised that “this issue needs to be addressed urgently.”
But Fresenius failed to share that warning with other U.S. dialysis centers that also use Granuflo, which the company doesn’t operate. Those centers continued to unknowingly use Granuflo until the FDA learned of the company’s warning to its own clinics, and instructed the company to inform other dialysis providers of the risk.
The Bessemer Kidney Center shut down on May 8 after two patients died and others were hospitalized over a span of several days. Alabama state officials are investigating, according to AL.com.
You should consult with a doctor before making any change in your medical care. If you or a loved one have suffered injury or death after kidney dialysis, contact Lopez McHugh for a free consultation; we can help determine if GranuFlo was used.
See the story here:
https://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/05/bessemer_dialysis_center_shut.html
