Every day, people all across the country, count on blood thinner medications to keep them alive and healthy. This type of medication is effective at preventing blood clots from forming in patients who are at high risk of developing clots, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. For these people, not having this valuable medication can be catastrophic.
While blood thinners can be taken and administered in a number of ways, the most common forms are pills and injections. Inject able blood thinners are growing a great deal in popularity because they are quick and effective. Because of this medical trend pre filled syringes with the blood thinner medication all ready to go are now available on the market. These pre filled syringes take the guess work out of dosing, and are meant to provide hassle free, mess free, mistake free administration of important medication.
Even though these pre filled syringes are meant to provide good results, and reduce many problems associated with administering injections, they are not without certain issues of their own. These highly touted medical devices have come under fire as of late due to serious side effects and complications.
One of the largest manufacturers of blood thinner medication pre filled syringes has been linked to serious bacterial infections in a minimum of forty people. These reports first surfaced in December of 2007 in Illinois and Texas. The patients that were infected had used the pre filled syringes to flush their central intravenous catheter lines. The syringes are used to administer the blood thinner so that blood clots cannot form and that central intravenous lines do not clot. The pre filled syringes that were found to be from a contaminated batch were not only sent to Illinois and Texas, but also to Pennsylvania, Florida, and Colorado. This prompted the manufacturer to pull the syringes that were deemed to be defected off of the market. The syringes that were tainted were manufactured in one particular plant in North Carolina.
As was previously mentioned, roughly forty people in two states were sickened after using defective pre filled blood thinner syringes. The patients included twenty out patients at a particular medical center in Chicago. While no fatalities have been reported due to the defective pre filled blood thinner syringes fourteen of the twenty patients in Chicago did require hospitalization for their conditions.
Doctors in Chicago were able to link the infections seen to patients using pre filled syringes during home treatments for several medical conditions including cancer. The infections were found to be caused by a bacterium known as serratia marcescens. This particular bacterium causes a range of symptoms including chills and fever.
As previously stated, all of the pre filled syringes that were contaminated came from one lot manufactured in one plant in North Carolina. While the bacteria was found in the pre filled syringes, it is not clear if the contamination originated with the blood thinner medication, the syringe itself, or the saline that is used to dilute the medication. Because of the contamination all pre filled syringes from the lot in question were recalled.
If you or someone you know has been harmed because of a pre filled blood thinner syringe that was contaminated, you should know that you have valuable legal rights that need to be protected. The best way to go about doing this is to consult with a personal injury attorney who specializes in the area of defective medical devices, and product liability. These legal professionals are quite skilled in this area of the law and will review all the details of your case in order to determine the best way to proceed.
A personal injury attorney who specializes in this area of the law will manage your case from start to finish and will determine all of the parties who need to be held accountable for the harm that has been done. Your personal injury attorney will work hard on your behalf in order to ensure you do not accept a settlement that is not ideal and that all of your legal rights are protected.
In the majority of cases, damages can be sought for a number of issues including past, present, and future medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, as well as for several other types of issues. Taking legal action can go a long way toward helping you move forward in a positive direction.
For the most part, personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. This means that you are not required to pay anything upfront to start your claim, and you often pay nothing at all until the time your case settles. Removing the added financial burden of bringing forth a legal suit can make a tremendous difference in your daily life, and will allow you to focus your personal time and attention on more important matters, such as your health and recovery.
While a personal injury attorney cannot undo the harm that has already been done, he or she can help you to pick up the broken pieces of your live and move forward in a new direction. Taking action is not only important for yourself, and for your family, it is also important to ensure other innocent patients are not harmed in the same manner in the future. Holding manufacturers accountable for what they do and the products they place on the market is critical to patient safety both now, and in the future.
Drug manufacturers must take great pains to create products that are both safe and effective. By releasing these products they are stating they have done their due diligence to comply with standards and testing to ensure they are completely safe or that adequate warnings are placed on the packaging. When this fails to happen for any reason, negligence has occurred and legal action can and should be taken. Contamination is unacceptable in any circumstance and is one of the worst types of negligence. Consult with a personal injury attorney today to learn your rights.
While blood thinners can be taken and administered in a number of ways, the most common forms are pills and injections. Inject able blood thinners are growing a great deal in popularity because they are quick and effective. Because of this medical trend pre filled syringes with the blood thinner medication all ready to go are now available on the market. These pre filled syringes take the guess work out of dosing, and are meant to provide hassle free, mess free, mistake free administration of important medication.
Even though these pre filled syringes are meant to provide good results, and reduce many problems associated with administering injections, they are not without certain issues of their own. These highly touted medical devices have come under fire as of late due to serious side effects and complications.
One of the largest manufacturers of blood thinner medication pre filled syringes has been linked to serious bacterial infections in a minimum of forty people. These reports first surfaced in December of 2007 in Illinois and Texas. The patients that were infected had used the pre filled syringes to flush their central intravenous catheter lines. The syringes are used to administer the blood thinner so that blood clots cannot form and that central intravenous lines do not clot. The pre filled syringes that were found to be from a contaminated batch were not only sent to Illinois and Texas, but also to Pennsylvania, Florida, and Colorado. This prompted the manufacturer to pull the syringes that were deemed to be defected off of the market. The syringes that were tainted were manufactured in one particular plant in North Carolina.
As was previously mentioned, roughly forty people in two states were sickened after using defective pre filled blood thinner syringes. The patients included twenty out patients at a particular medical center in Chicago. While no fatalities have been reported due to the defective pre filled blood thinner syringes fourteen of the twenty patients in Chicago did require hospitalization for their conditions.
Doctors in Chicago were able to link the infections seen to patients using pre filled syringes during home treatments for several medical conditions including cancer. The infections were found to be caused by a bacterium known as serratia marcescens. This particular bacterium causes a range of symptoms including chills and fever.
As previously stated, all of the pre filled syringes that were contaminated came from one lot manufactured in one plant in North Carolina. While the bacteria was found in the pre filled syringes, it is not clear if the contamination originated with the blood thinner medication, the syringe itself, or the saline that is used to dilute the medication. Because of the contamination all pre filled syringes from the lot in question were recalled.
If you or someone you know has been harmed because of a pre filled blood thinner syringe that was contaminated, you should know that you have valuable legal rights that need to be protected. The best way to go about doing this is to consult with a personal injury attorney who specializes in the area of defective medical devices, and product liability. These legal professionals are quite skilled in this area of the law and will review all the details of your case in order to determine the best way to proceed.
A personal injury attorney who specializes in this area of the law will manage your case from start to finish and will determine all of the parties who need to be held accountable for the harm that has been done. Your personal injury attorney will work hard on your behalf in order to ensure you do not accept a settlement that is not ideal and that all of your legal rights are protected.
In the majority of cases, damages can be sought for a number of issues including past, present, and future medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, as well as for several other types of issues. Taking legal action can go a long way toward helping you move forward in a positive direction.
For the most part, personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. This means that you are not required to pay anything upfront to start your claim, and you often pay nothing at all until the time your case settles. Removing the added financial burden of bringing forth a legal suit can make a tremendous difference in your daily life, and will allow you to focus your personal time and attention on more important matters, such as your health and recovery.
While a personal injury attorney cannot undo the harm that has already been done, he or she can help you to pick up the broken pieces of your live and move forward in a new direction. Taking action is not only important for yourself, and for your family, it is also important to ensure other innocent patients are not harmed in the same manner in the future. Holding manufacturers accountable for what they do and the products they place on the market is critical to patient safety both now, and in the future.
Drug manufacturers must take great pains to create products that are both safe and effective. By releasing these products they are stating they have done their due diligence to comply with standards and testing to ensure they are completely safe or that adequate warnings are placed on the packaging. When this fails to happen for any reason, negligence has occurred and legal action can and should be taken. Contamination is unacceptable in any circumstance and is one of the worst types of negligence. Consult with a personal injury attorney today to learn your rights.
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