Trasylol: Check Your Surgical Report

Los Angeles, CAIn conversation with a medical professional from the Los Angeles area (with over 20 years work in cardiac surgery) I was informed that patients can seek their own medical records through their primary physician. A patient can determine, through this record, if they had been given Trasylol during cardiac surgery procedure.

LawyersandSettlements has spoken with [several people]who have undergone open-heart surgery and now suffer kidney failure. Some have tried to get their medical records, to no avail. And some patients do not realize that their records are legally theirs.

A patient in renal failure and facing increasing medical costs might want to obtain their surgical record—the attorney will need it to file a lawsuit. The medical professional (who wishes to remain anonymous) explained that a patient should request a copy of their perfusion record from their cardiovascular surgeon, which might designate administration of Trasylol during their surgery.

Trasylol is given more frequently to patients that are undergoing repeat heart surgery--their bleeding is more likely.

I was told that Trasylol is often an additive to the priming solution of the extracorporeal bypass circuit and the perfusion record--also called the Extracorpeal Bypass Record-- would show what dosage was given. This record, attached to the medical record, would list the components for priming, and would indicate whether Trasylol was administered.

Most patients are able to go to their medical record department at the hospital where they had surgery and they can request a copy of their record related to surgery. "To my understanding there is usually a fee," says the medical professional. "If they have difficulty obtaining their medical record from the hospital, talk to their primary care physician who can write an order to the hospital, requesting a copy for the patient.

"Sometimes a medical record department will not give records directly to the patient without records being requested by another physician. For example, their nephrologist or cardiologist could assist them in requesting these records."