Trasylol, a medication that promotes clotting during surgical procedures in order to reduce bleeding, has been under scrutiny for the past year and a half. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG introduced the drug back in 1993, and it has since been administered to a third of all open heart surgery patients in the United States. Substantial research has shown that many patients who took Trasylol were more likely to die due to a higher risk of kidney damage, congestive heart failure, and stroke.
In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encouraged physicians to keep a watchful eye on patients who had been prescribed Trasylol. Then in November 2007, with pressure from the FDA, Trasylol was recalled; it was proven that subjects in a Canadian study who had taken Trasylol were dying at a faster rate than those who were not on the drug. Nevertheless, before the dangers of this product would become public knowledge, countless patients had already been permanently harmed.
Recent studies have indicated that Trasylol may be even more of a health hazard than once assumed. In an analysis of 10,000 cardiac bypass patients conducted by Duke University Medical Center, it was revealed that patients who used Trasylol were 250 percent more likely to die within a month of the operation than those who did not receive the drug. A separate investigation illustrated how people that took Trasylol had greater odds of dying within five years of their heart surgery.
The majority of cardiac patients are unaware whether they have ever taken Trasylol. If you or someone you care about has experienced unexplained kidney deterioration, heart attack, or stroke, or if someone dear to you passed away unexpectedly after surgery, Trasylol could be responsible.
Our attorneys are not currently seeking claims for this class action case.