Lawsuits you should know about

Heparin is injected to prevent blood from clotting or to allow the body to naturally break down clots that have already formed. It may be used in patients suffering from such illnesses as acute coronary syndrome (such as myocardial infarction), atrial fibrillation, deep-vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and cardiopulmonary bypass. Heparin has been in use since 1916 and is one of the oldest drugs still administered widespread for clinical use.

The known side effects of heparin are heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT Syndrome) and in rarer cases, alopecia and osteoporosis. An overdose of heparin can also be life threatening. A nurse in the Czech Republic, Petr Zelenda, was convicted of killing seven patients in 2006 via an overdose of heparin. But, not all overdoses are intentional. In November 2007, actor Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly Buffington saw their newborn twins mistakenly given an overdose of heparin. The twins, not quite two weeks old, were given an adult dosage of heparin, which is 1,000 times stronger than that recommended for infants. It is believed that the dosage labeling was not clear and Quaid filed a lawsuit against Baxter Healthcare for $50,000. Despite the overdose, it appears that the twins will be fine. The typical treatment for a heparin overdose is protamine sulfate.

In addition to heparin overdoses, Baxter Healthcare had to recall a shipment of heparin in December 2007 due to contamination after receiving reports of adverse reactions. More recalls of heparin was made in January, February, and March 2008. Several unopened syringes in a specific shipment were found to contain a bacteria called serratia marcescens, which can be life threatening or fatal. The symptoms of using the contaminated heparin are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, chest pain, fast heart rate, dizziness, fainting and shortness of breath, tachycardia, burning sensation, flushing and redness of the skin, sweating, thirst, headache, and restlessness. It is believed that the contaminated heparin vials came from a Scientific Protein plant in China. The Food and Drug Administration received reports of over 785 patients who were seriously injured and at least 19 dying after taking the contaminated heparin. The FDA issued a public health advisory on February 11, 2008 to inform the public of the reports received.

Currently, there have been many lawsuits filed against Baxter Healthcare due to the heparin contamination. One was by the family of a man in Missouri who died after an allergic reaction. By the end of April 2008, there were at least sixteen lawsuits against Baxter Healthcare.

If you or someone you know experienced adverse reactions after taking heparin, you should consult a lawyer to protect your legal rights as a patient and get you the compensation you deserve.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 6:07 pm and is filed under Lawsuits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.