Recall for Several Heparin Injection Products.
Heparin is a substance that helps patients receive other forms of treatment. Specifically, it’s a substance that’s administered by injection in order to prevent the clotting process that’s a natural reaction to the opening of any sort of wound on the body, and wounds are opened regularly for those who need IV’s or kidney dialysis.
As the medical product industry developed, new products were formulated and released that allowed for quick and easy access to this substance so that patients could be given ancillary injections immediately and move onto the treatments they needed without the concern of the entry path created for the IV clogging.
Unfortunately, more than one voluntary recall of Heparin products has been announced recently due to the potential for the development of serious side effects in patients. There are two companies at issue here, and each is described below along with the products being recalled and why.
Baxter Healthcare Corporation
The Baxter Healthcare Corporation manufactures and distributes multi-dose and single-use vials of heparin sodium for injection and heparin lock flush solutions. These products are supposed to simply be unpacked and injected into the patients, but the recall of these products was announced because of the development of side effects that include oral swelling, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, hypotension and nausea.
AM2 PAT, Inc.
AM2 PAT, Inc. manufactures Heparin and Normal Saline pre-filled flushes, and these products are known by the brand names of Sierra Pre-Filled Inc and B. Braun. They are sold in different volumes, including 3ml and 5ml sizes for Heparin and 3ml, 5ml, and 10ml sizes for Normal Saline. The problem with the recalled products was the presence of the Serratia marcescens bacteria, and this substance causes severe and sometimes life-threatening bacterial infections in patients, especially those with vulnerable kidneys.
Your Next Step
If you have suffered as a result of depending on and trusting either of these products, you need immediate medical help, and your next step should be to contact an attorney as soon as possible to schedule an initial consultation.
