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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

Heart Surgery Drug Trasylol and Kidney/Heart Failure

If you have had heart surgery, you may have been given the drug Trasylol, which has been linked to kidney and heart damage. During heart surgery, specifically cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, medical professionals use Trasylol (aprotinin) to reduce blood loss and reduce the need for a blood transfusion. Although Trasylol has the ability to reduce blood loss during heart surgery, it has been found to have serious side effects that may threaten your heart or kidneys.

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Trasylol linked to Heart and Kidney Failures

Two studies have linked Trasylol drug injections to serious complications of kidney failure, deadly heart problems and brain disease. The FDA has issued a Public Health Warning and initiated further research into the drug's benefits and risks.

Trasylol linked to kidney and heart failure


In one study the Ischemia Research and Education Foundation examined 4,374 heart surgery patients worldwide and found that those on Trasylol doubled their risk of developing kidney failure, and more than doubled their risk of heart failure. Patients also had a 181% increased risk of stroke. Many consumers and health officials blame the drug for patients having to use kidney dialysis and even for patient deaths.

A whistleblower alerted the FDA to problems with Trasylol and the FDA subsequently announced, in September 2006, that Bayer had failed to reveal the results of the study that showed Trasylol was linked to an increased risk of death and stroke.

Bayer claimed they did not disclose the study to the FDA because the results were "preliminary" and then took the unusual action of suspending two employees who were supposedly responsible for hiding the study from the FDA.

Lysosine analogues, aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid can be used as safe alternatives to using Trasylol. Trasylol is ten times more expensive than generic lysosine analogues. Studies show that using one of the alternative generic drugs would prevent as many as 11,000 dialysis complications annually, would save $1 billion in dialysis costs, and would reduce the cost of blood controlling drugs by $250 million.

Trasylol Surgeries

According to the American Heart Association, each year there are approximately six million cardiovascular heart operations including 666,000 open heart surgeries and over 460,000 bypass surgeries. The in-hospital death rate of these patients is not stated but heart-related deaths account for almost one and a half million deaths each year, more than any other cause.

Many patients do not know if Trasylol was used during their heart surgery but patients who have experienced kidney problems or additional heart problems should seek medical consultation to determine if Trasylol is to blame. If a family member died while undergoing heart surgery, you should also ask questions about the use of Trasylol.

Since its approval in 1993, Trasylol, manufactured by Bayer AG, has been used on more than one million patients worldwide. Sales of Trasylol were $171 million in 2004 and $230 million in 2005 and are expected to exceed $600 million in 2006.

If you have had heart surgery and then experienced kidney failure, stroke or congestive heart failure, your symptoms may have been caused by Trasylol. A lawyer can help evaluate your case.



Trasylol Kidney or Heart Failure Lawyer Help

If you have had heart surgery such as cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, you may have been administered Trasylol.

If you have suffered kidney failure, heart problems, or other complications after surgery, please click on the link below to send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your claim at no charge to you.


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LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

The Trials and Tribulations of Trasylol
The Trials and Tribulations of Trasylol
October 14, 2008
Trasylol heart failure, and the sad state of affairs behind the Trasylol story serves to paint a grim picture of the US pharmaceutical industry, and the regulators who are supposedly watching over it. Meantime, Trasylol kidney failure and various other Trasylol side effects are still an issue—that's because Trasylol was never banned. Bayer AG, the Trasylol manufacturer, simply agreed to stop actively marketing the drug. But there is no ban and no recall. The barn door is still open. READ MORE

Trasylol: In Their Own Words
Trasylol: In Their Own Words
September 25, 2008
The world by now knows all too well that Trasylol has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster movie—perhaps even with Tommy Lee Jones as the crusading researcher, Dr. Dennis Mangano. And the thousands of patients who died from Trasylol heart failure, Trasylol kidney failure and various other Trasylol side effects might finally get their due as the workings of a manufacturer, and a drug regulator are examined. READ MORE

Trasylol: Never Forget Joe Randone's Hellish Journey
Trasylol: Never Forget Joe Randone's Hellish Journey
August 23, 2008
Two years ago this month Joe Randone died after receiving Trasylol for a heart operation. We should never, ever forget him—because there are as many as 22,000 people just like him. READ MORE

READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
My father had valve replacement surgery, he was 83 but in fairly decent health except for the valve problem which of course created more issues. Our family was told with the surgery if sucessful be as good as new within 2 months. Instead after surgery Kidneys failed and he went on dyalasis till he passed away almost 5 years later. He had 2, 200 injections of Trasylol during the surgery. we figure it was the cause of the failure.

Posted by

on
After his first surgery, he developed kidney trouble and went on dialysis for years. He lost his complexion and became very dark. He died on September 10, 2007 from contributory renal failure. I became the personal representative of his estate.

Posted by

on
The loss of my best friend, my sister, the person I shared my home and life with. Loss of her above all, She suffered needlessly, I feel. I am devastated and so is my family. I miss her every day and minute. All I can think about is all the hell she went through. Please let me know if I possibly have a case against Bayer.

Posted by

on
She had to have both valves repaired and blockages in her heart unblocked. Three days later they rushed her back into surgery to place a defibrillator in. She started to go into kidney failure about a week and a half later. In the two weeks to follow her heart and other main organs began to shut down and she passed away on May 24, 2007.

Posted by

on
My mother had bypass surgery in 2004 and I suspect that traysol was used in her surgery her secondary cause of death was renal failure and although my mother did have diabetes she had never had problems with her kidney until after her surgery. My mother died.

Posted by

on
I now have some complications that have not been fully diagnosed, such as insufficient function of the left side of my heart and high pressure in the aortic valve which was replaced.

I have pains in the upper left rear part of my head which are often accompanied by changes in my vision. I am very fatigued also. I have not however been given tests for the head pains even though I have complained and there has not been a firm diagnosis or reason given for the two above described problems.

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