HAVE YOU SUFFERED COMPLICATIONS FROM HEART SURGERY?
If you or a family member has had heart surgery and suffered complications involving stroke, heart attack, kidney failure or death, the drug Trasylol may have been used in the procedure. 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 brain (stroke), heart or kidneys.
During heart surgery such as 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. Two studies have linked Trasylol 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 risks and benefits.
A whistleblower alerted the United States Food and drug Administration 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.
Generic drugs 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.
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. We are prepared to help you protect what is important to you and your family. To schedule a free consultation to determine if you or a family member has been harmed by the drug Trasylol, contact the attorneys at McGowan, Hood & Felder LLC toll free today.
